Family Affair
by Vance McGill
Summary: The Potters and Malfoys never liked each other and it went on with their children. But what happens when Romeo Malfoy Draco and Pansy Malfoy's son saves Jamie Potter Harry and Ginny Potter's daughter? Ooh, the real fun begins then.
1. Family Feuds

Chapter 1  
Family Feuds

**__**

"Jamie, I really don't know why you didn't wear a dress today instead of those jeans," Harry Potter said to his seventeen year-old daughter, "It would make you look a lot nicer."

"Dad, I only wear dresses on formal occasions," said Jamie, rolling her eyes, "You are so old-fashioned. Mum doesn't care whether I wear jeans or dresses."

"Yes, but your Mum was a tomboy when she was your age," said Harry, "And she used to threaten your uncles with Bat-Bogey Hexes all the time."

"And you don't think I am a tomboy?" asked Jamie.

Jamie Potter, the seventeen year-old daughter of Harry and Ginny Potter was about to start her seventh year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She looked a lot like her mother, but had inherited the green eyes and black hair color from her father. She also had inherited her father's love of Quidditch, which she thanked him dearly for. It was the main reason she was the Captain and star Seeker of the Gryffindor team. Jamie was named when her parents thought they were going to have a baby boy instead of a girl. So instead of James, which they wanted to name their first born as, they named their daughter Jamie.

But Harry and Ginny Potter got their wish two years later when Jamie's brother was born. James Potter, named after his grandfather, was a younger version of his father. He was fifteen years old and, like his sister, a Gryffindor. He had the green eyes and short scruffy hair his father had as a teen. He was also very tall for his age. Like his father he was a mischief-maker, but he was also fearless like his mother and would give anything to curse anyone with a bat-bogey hex, which his mother proudly taught him. Jamie just saw him as her bratty little brother (even though he was a bit taller than her).

Ginny Potter had gone to work earlier in the morning. She had worked at the S.P.E.W Division of the Ministry for nearly thirteen years. So it was Harry's job today to say goodbye to Jamie and James as they boarded the Hogwarts Express.

"James Harry Potter!" said a voice from the entrance of the platform, "What do you think you are doing?"

"Oh, sorry Aunt 'Mione," said James turning around. He had his wand in his hand and a little green toad was hopping along away from him.

"That better just be a toad and not a fellow student!" said Hermione Weasley.

"It is just a toad," said James, "I promise."

Hermione Weasley, the wife of Ron Weasley for over eighteen years and best friend of Harry, had arrived with her two children. Jane Weasley was Jamie's age (seventeen) and had the Weasley family red hair but otherwise looked like her mother. She had also inherited her near-genius smarts which was the reason she was Head Girl and the top student in the seventh year. Jane's brother, Richie was fourteen and, like his sister, and cousins, he was also a Gryffindor. He had inherited his father's looks and was skinny and rather tall for a fourteen year-old. He loved Quidditch and had been planning on trying out for Keeper this year. His last audition had failed miserably. But, as he told everyone everyday, he was practicing and would be the best Keeper, even better than his father.

"Ugh, kids," Hermione said to Harry as she walked over to him, "James is definitely your son, Harry."

"Yeah, I know," said Harry, his eyes narrowed as he looked at James, who had his eye on the toad again, "So, Hermione, I thought it would have been Ron coming today. He is the one that is usually late."

"Ron had to go into work early today," said Hermione, "So I had to bring these two. And yes, I know we were nearly late. I usually get here earlier then ten minutes before the train leaves but Richie wouldn't wake up."

"I finally had to threaten him with a curse," said Jane, "He knows I am of legal age and can do that now. Right, Richie?"

"Huh, oh, yeah," said Richie. Richie had been looking for the toad with James.

"I thought Tonks would be here today," Hermione told Harry.

"Oh, Remus and Joseph are already at Hogwarts," said Harry, "Remus had to go to Hogwarts yesterday, so he brought Joseph with him."

Remus Lupin, Hogwarts' resident (but tamed) werewolf, was the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor and had been for over ten years. Joseph Lupin, Remus' son was a seventh year and one of the most popular students in school. And it wasn't uncommon knowledge around the school that he had his eye on one special girl.

"Jane," said Hermione, "Richie, you guys better get on the train."

"Yeah, you too Jamie and James," said Harry, "James, you better be good this year. I don't want anymore Howlers from Headmistress McGonagall, you hear me!"

"Yes, Dad," said James, who secretly had crossed his fingers.

The four Gryffindors boarded the train and waved goodbye to Hermione and Harry. They found a compartment and sat down.

"Ugh, the train ride to Hogwarts is always boring," said Jane, as the Hogwarts Express started moving, "I thought I would get used to it."

"Aww, is ickle Jane wishing she was already at Hogwarts?" teased Richie, "Oh, but of course, Joey is already there. I forgot."

"Oh, shut up," said Jane, going red in the cheeks.

"Oh come on, Jane," said Richie, "Everyone knows he has fancied you for a while now. And I would bet five galleons you feel the same way about him." When Jane didn't say anything, Richie continued. "Oh, I see," he said, "He is the son of a professor. You wouldn't want to go involved with someone when their father is watching, right?"

"For your information, Richard Weasley," said Jane, "Joseph and I have been going out since right before the last term at Hogwarts ended! He asked me out and promised he would write letters all summer. Which he did!"

"And you didn't tell me?" said Richie, "I would have liked to know."

"I don't tell stuff like that to my own brother," said Jane.

"Oh, but I am sure my sister knew," said James, "Didn't you, Jamie? You are her best friend, as well as cousin."

"All right, yes," said Jamie, "I knew."

"And you wouldn't even tell your own cousin?" Richie asked Jamie.

"Richie," said Jamie, "I didn't tell my parents. And I wasn't going to tell your parents either. That is supposed to be her job."

Jane was about to speak but the compartment door slid open. A boy with long blonde-hair walked into the compartment.

"What are you doing here, Malfoy?" James said, standing up, "We don't want your company."

Romeo Malfoy, the son of Draco and Pansy Malfoy, was a seventh year student as well. Seventeen and very tall, he had inherited most of his looks from his father, though he did get his long hair from his mother, even though it was white-ish blonde like his father's. He had also inherited his father's talent on a broomstick and was the Captain and Seeker for the Slytherin Quidditch team. He also wore the trademark smirk his father was known for as a teen.

"I just wanted to see how my four favorite Gryffindors are," said Romeo, "I can do that, right?"

"We are fine," said James, "Now please leave, we were talking and we don't need your intrusion."

"You know, James," said Romeo, "You need to learn to respect your elders."

"Elder? You?" James asked, smirking, "You are barely two years older than me, Malfoy."

"Yes, but unlike you," said Romeo, "I can legally do magic."

"We can all do magic at Hogwarts now," said James, "It is just illegal outside Hogwarts grounds."

"We aren't inside the grounds yet, are we?" asked Romeo.

"True," said Jamie, "But you aren't the only one here that can legally do magic, Malfoy."

"Well, Jamie," said Romeo, "Speaking up, finally. I thought you had lost your voice."

"I just refuse to waste much breath around you, Malfoy," said Jamie.

"Hmmph," said Romeo. He smirked and turned around to leave. As he left, he winked at Jamie, then shut the door.

"Ugh, creep!" said Jane, shutting the privacy curtain on the door, "He is in fact his father's son."

"And he lives up to it," said James, sitting back down.

Jamie, James, Jane, and Richie continued to talk to each other throughout the ride until they had finally arrived at Hogwarts.

**-----------------------------------**

This is my first "Next Generation" Fan fic, so I hope you like it so far... this chapter was just basically an introduction to the characters... there will be more new characters coming into the story next chapter...

Would love your feedback!


	2. Hunger

Chapter 2  
Hunger

"All right, firs' years," said a voice, barely heard through the rain, "Over here please!"

Rubeus Hagrid was still a part of the staff at Hogwarts. He was still the Care of Magical Creatures teacher and was also the Head of Gryffindor. He still had the job of taking the first years across the lake and, even though it was raining, he was still going to do it. No other teacher would do it because of the infamous giant squid, who was only still living after so many years because Hagrid had been feeding him. And because it was tradition, the first years would have to go across the lake, no matter how soaked they were going to get.

"Ugh, why does it always have to rain on the first day of term!" said Jane, carefully walking around a large puddle.

"Oh, come on, Jane," said Richie, "It is so fun out here."

"Well maybe you should stay out and get wet," said Jane, "But I am going to look for a carriage."

Richie, however, followed his sister and cousins to the carriages and found an empty one.

"Gah, I wish we could hurry," said Jane, as she climbed into the carriage and sat down, "I hate rain!"

"You only want to get to Hogwarts so you can be with Joseph," said Richie.

Jane said nothing but was privately thinking of pushing her brother out of the carriage. She was about to do it when the carriage started to move.

"I love these carriages," said Jamie, "They are so warm and magical."

"You do know they only move because of the Thestrals," said James.

"Yes, but none of us can see them," said Jamie.

"Dad can though," said James.

"Yes," said Jamie, "We all know his adventures with the Thestrals. Only because he told us more then a dozen times."

Jamie never let her family or anyone know, but she was kind of annoyed with all the publicity her family had recieved because her father was the one defeated the greatest Dark wizard of all time. She knew she shouldn't be unhappy, but it would help if she didn't have to open her father's fan mail for him all the time! Jamie hated publicity... and it didn't help her grandfather was also the Minister of Magic.

After years of saying no to the offer of Minister of Magic, Arthur Weasley finally accepted only because he knew the Ministry wasn't going very far when it came to an alliance with the Muggles. It had been two years since his inauguration to be the Minister. Shortly before this, former Minister of Magic Rufus Scrimgeour had been sent to Azkaban for treason. He had admitted he knew where there were still some fugitive Death Eaters who had been on the run for over fifteen years... Malfoy's father was one of them, but he was still reported to be on the run. But where he was... no one knew. Jamie knew deep inside that Romeo knew where his father was, but wouldn't admit it.

The carriages had reached Hogwarts castle and all the students hurried out and ran up the steps so they wouldn't get any more soaked. When they reached the Great Hall, James and Richie walked along down to the middle of the Gryffindor table and sat next to their friends. Jamie and Jane sat down at the end of the table where the other seventh years usually sat for the special feasts. Joseph Lupin walked up and sat down next to Jane, who kissed Joseph on the cheek.

Joseph Lupin looked a lot like his father, but he could change his appearance when he wanted to. He had inherited his mother's ability of metamorphosis. Although he had the option, he never did change it much. He liked how he looked, just because he knew that other people did too. He had short brown hair and looked a lot like his father. Joseph was also the Head Boy.

"Jane, I didn't think you would want to do stuff like that," said Joseph, "I thought our relationship was secret."

"Oh come on, Joseph," said Jane, "Our relationship isn't that secret. Jamie knows we are together. And I am sure the rest of the school was betting on when we would hook up. Why do you want to keep this secret? Trying to keep your reputation as Head Boy safe. Or are you afraid your fan-girls would get too jealous?"

"Fan-girls?" said Joseph, "I wasn't aware I had..."

"Don't play dumb with me Joseph," said Jane, "You are the most popular student in Hogwarts, you are one of the Chasers on the Quidditch team and you happen to have a father that teaches here."

"Don't remind me," said Joseph.

More students began to sit down, including a few of the fellow seventh year Gryffindors. One of Jamie and Jane's best friends, Alice Longbottom, sat down next to Jamie.

Alice Longbottom was the daughter of Neville and Luna Longbottom. She had been named after her grandmother whom had died a couple weeks before she was born. She had her father's round face but looked a lot like her mother. Long-blonde hair and average height, Alice was known for her strange attitude. She would always wear carrot ear-rings, an heirloom from her mother. When she wasn't doing homework, she was reading the Quibbler, her favorite magazines or writing ideas for it. She had been promised a job as a writer for the Quibbler when she left Hogwarts.

"Have a nice holiday," Jamie asked Alice.

"Ooh, yes," said Alice, "Mum took me to Africa over the summer. We were looking for Swooners. They were rumored to have been seen around the last herd of Crumple-Horned Snorcacks. We were afraid they might have been fighting. Swooners are almost extinct, you know."

"Really, interesting," said Jamie, "Where is your father? He isn't at the staff table."

Neville Longbottom had been the Herbology teacher for five years. He had taken the job when the long-time Herbology Professor, Sprout, retired after getting attacked by her beloved Venemous Tentacula.

"Oh, he is talking to Mum using the Floo Network," said Alice, "I forgot to tell you, she is expecting another baby."

"Really, wow!" said Jamie, "Speaking of... did your sister get here fine? I know she is starting Hogwarts this year."

"Oh, yeah," said Alice, "Brooke was fine. She couldn't wait to come here. I hope she gets into Gryffindor, but she is so smart. She could go to Ravenclaw like my mother did."

"Really?" said Jamie, "Wow, you better watch out Jane. You might have competition. You might not be the resident genius anymore."

Jane blushed furiously. Jamie knew Jane hated to be called the resident genius of Hogwarts, but since she was much smarter than Jamie, Jamie made sure she joked around with it.

"Oh, don't worry Jane," said Alice, "My sister looks up to you."

"Because you are so tall," joked Jamie.

Jane rolled her eyes.

-------------------------------

A few minutes later Neville had arrived and taken his seat, but not before saying hi to Alice, Jamie and the others. Shortly after, the oak doors opened and Hagrid, along with the new first years, all soaked to their skin, walked down through the center of the tables toward the front. Brooke could be soon talking to a couple of fellow first year. She smiled at Alice, who smiled back.

"Oh, there she is!" Alice said, nodding to her sister, "Look, she has already made friends."

Headmistress McGonagall walked around the table and over to the sorting hat which still looked as good as ever even though it was so old and ancient. McGonagall had still taken up the job of calling the students even though she had taken the Headmistress job so long ago.

"Ahem," said McGonagall, waiting for the students to quiet down. When they did, she continued, "All right. First of all, I would like to welcome all the first years to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I hope that you find this place as comfortable as your own home, as many of us have done already. Now, after the Sorting Hat sings it's song, I will call your names and you will be sorted to your houses. This is just the first step in a long and, hopefully nice, road to magical learning. Now, I know I am taking up the Sorting Hat's time, so I will let him start."

The Sorting Hat's brim opened and he began to sing:

**A/N: I am not very good with sorting hat songs, so bear with me... I will, to say at least, try.**

_A whole new year  
new students to teach  
Minds to strengthen  
New goals to reach_

Through many a-year  
And this is quite apparent  
I have sorted many young students  
Including your parents

I have one job  
I call it my sport  
To divide into fours  
The students I sort

Gryffindor has been known  
to be brave and daring  
But if this is where you lie  
You must also be caring

Ravenclaw  
The resident "smarties"  
Have been known to read books  
Not throw fun parties

Hufflepuff  
The hard workers, are treasured  
Their ability to do much  
Cannot be measured

And Slytherin, the keen  
Are sly as a snake  
But their minds are sharp  
And rough as a quake

So I sort you young ones  
And yes, you must divide  
Friends may be separated  
But in your heart, you unite

So rest myself upon your head  
And show me what you think  
For I am the Sorting Hat  
And Knowledge is my favorite drink!

The Hall erupted in applause. Headmistress McGonagall's hand raised up in the air to quiet the students, and the Hall went silent.

"Thank you," said McGonagall, "And thank you, Sorting Hat. Now, when I call your names, first years, you will one by one come up to the stool and sit down. I will place the Sorting Hat on your head, and it will sort you into your house. Then you can join your fellow students at your respected tables."

McGonagall began to call students up to the hat. Ten minutes later, Brooke Longbottom was called. She eagerly waved to her father and sat down on the stool. McGonagall placed the hat upon Brooke's head. It took about thirty seconds before the Sorting Hat yelled "Ravenclaw!"

"Well, I knew she could have been sorted into Ravenclaw," said Alice, standing up and applauding her sister.

Brooke walked over to the Ravenclaw table and waved to her sister. The sorting continued until it ended with "Zabini, Grace" ending up in Slytherin.

McGonagall walked back up to her seat and motioned for the students to get quiet again. Then she began to talk.

"A nice start-of-term speech is in order, of course," said McGonagall, "But that can wait. I know all of you are hungry so..."

McGonagall raised her hand and all kinds of food appeared on the tables.

As Jamie was eating, she couldn't help but notice how Jane and Joseph kept getting closer together. She smirked at this.

"What are you smirking at?" Jane asked her best friend.

"Nothing," said Jamie, "I just can't figure out why you would want to keep such a thing like your relationship secret."

"We don't want to showcase it, Jamie," said Jane, "And while we are talking about this, why don't you have anyone to... you know, write notes to?"

"Oh," said Jamie, blushing a bit, "There isn't really anyone I fancy."

"Yeah, but I am sure you could find someone," said Joseph, "You are the Captain and Seeker for the Quidditch Team. I would think someone secretly fancies you."

Jamie blushed again and as she began to grab some chicken and rolls, she couldn't help but notice Romeo Malfoy smirking at her. She shook herself on the inside and decided to ignore it. But she couldn't help ignoring the feeling she got inside the pit of her stomach. She told herself it was probably cause she was hungry. All she had on the train was a pumpkin pasty.

_Why would you even think that Romeo Malfoy fancies you? _said a voice inside Jamie's head, _He supposedly likes Jasmine Nott. Besides he is a Malfoy, remember!_

Jamie couldn't believe she would think something like this. Romeo Malfoy... like her? Pfft, she doesn't even like him that way... does she?

So many thoughts were roaming inside her head. She decided in the end that some good warm food would clear this up. That would do it... she was just hungry, that was all. It was silly to even think a Malfoy would want to be friends with a Potter, not to mention fancy one!

"Something wrong?" Jane asked Jamie.

"What?" asked Jamie, ignoring her current thoughts, "Oh, no. Just hungry."

"Well then eat up before the food disappears... literally," said Jane.

Jamie obeyed this and decided to forget about any of the thoughts that were still buzzing through her mind like a swarm of bees.

After dinner and dessert, the plates disappeared, and McGonagall stood up and hushed the students. She then began to talk.

"Well, so begins another year of knowledge and good times," she said, "I would like to remind all of you that the Forbidden Forest, how ever many times you want to think about going in there, is strictly forbidden."

In the center of the Gryffindor table, James and Richie pouted.

"The Quidditch tryouts will be coming up soon," continued McGonagall, "and anyone who wants to try for the team needs to talk to their respected Captain to see when the try-outs will be held. On a lasting note, I would like all of you to have fun while you are in school. Now that may sound hard, but it is my wish, and every other Professor's wish as well. Learning is the first step of doing, as I like to say. Knowledge is power. Now, I think you all look pretty tired so I end with a couple words from a late, dear friend. Pip Pip and Tuck In!"

The students all stood up and began to walk out of the Great Hall. As Jamie and her friends walked out of the Hall, Romeo and his goons (as Jamie called them) passed by. Jamie had swore Romeo winked at her again, but decided to forget it, reminding herself she was very tired. So Jamie and her friends headed for the Gryffindor Common Room and their dorms, ready for a good night's sleep.

--------------------------------

Okay, that was a good chapter. I hope the Sorting Hat song was good enough...

Would love more feedback... as always!


	3. Defending Yourself Against What Is To

Chapter 3  
Defending Yourself Against What Is To Come

The next morning, Jamie, her friends, cousins and brother sat down at the Gryffindor table to eat breakfast. The Professors were beginning to hand out schedules.

"So, Jamie," Richie spoke up as he was trying to spoon scrambled eggs onto his plate, "Have you given any thought to when you will hold Quidditch tryouts?"

"No, but I will have to think about it," said Jamie.

"Good, because I am going to try out for Keeper again," said Richie.

"And hopefully not miserably fail again," joked James.

"I didn't miserably fail," said Richie, "There was just someone better than me last year."

"And unfortunately he was a seventh year last year," said Jamie, "So I have to get another Keeper again."

"It will be me," said Richie.

"Richie, just because you are my cousin doesn't mean you are getting it that easily," said Jamie, "You will have to work for it."

"I know that," said Richie, "And I will work for it."

A couple minutes later, Professor McGonagall walked over to where Jamie and the others were sitting. She handed everyone their schedules and walked off.

"Ahh, dangit," said Richie, "Divination again! I didn't want to take it in the first place last year. I don't want to see anymore cups telling me I am going to be the mascot for a world champion Quidditch team one day instead of the Keeper!"

"Trelawney is getting crazy in her old age," said Jane, "That is why I quit Divination Studies."

"You are definitely your mother's daughter, Jane," said Jamie, "She quit Divination Studies as well when she was in Hogwarts."

"Like me, she was smart," said Jane, "She still is too."

"Oh come on," said Alice, "Trelawney isn't that crazy. She has made some good predictions. Including some about your dad, Jamie."

"Yeah, we know about those predictions she made about my dad, Alice," said Jamie, "I hear about it all the time in History of Magic."

Jamie knew Alice really admired Professor Trelawney, but she still remember how annoyed she was when her father's name turned up on a few questions on her O.W.L exam her fifth year.

Jamie decided to finally look at her schedule. She had Herbology, Defense Against the Dark Arts and History of Magic on Mondays and Wednesdays. And she had Charms, Transfiguration, and Care of Magical Creatures on Tuesdays and Thursdays. She had Fridays off... which she personally enjoyed.

A/N: I know that most students don't take CoMC after their fifth year, maybe sixth year... but Hagrid is so cool, I have to add his class.

"Oh, cool," said Jane, looking over at Jamie's schedule, "We have the same classes as each other!"

At this remark, Joseph pouted.

"What is wrong?" Jane asked him.

"We don't have all of our classes together," said Joseph, "I was hoping we would."

"Yeah, but Joseph," said Jane, "You don't like Care of Magical Creatures, I do."

"Yeah, but instead I got Divination," said Joseph, "For some reason Trelawney thinks I do really good in her class."

"Oh, I always thought she fancied you," joked Jamie.

Joseph rolled his eyes at this comment, but everyone else around him laughed.

-------------------------------------

After breakfast, Jamie, Jane, Joseph and Alice headed out to Greenhouse Three for Herbology. The Gryffindors would be in the class with the Ravenclaws. Professor Longbottom smirked at his daughter as they walked in. Of course she was his favorite student, which she personally got a little annoyed about. It is kind of weird when your father is a teacher... but thankfully she wasn't the only one she knew who had to go through that.

"All right, seventh year," said Professor Longbottom, "This is of course your last year at Hogwarts and I know some of you will like to start a career in something with Herbology, so this will be very important. But before I begin, I have some bad news. As you will notice, Hogwarts' prized Venemous Tentacula isn't here anymore. Over the summer, I am sad to say, it died."

A couple of students gasped, but most of the students silently gave a sigh of relief. The Venemous Tentacula wasn't very popular, because it had taken a liking to attack various students without warning... some victims had been sent to the Hospital Wing.

"Now, as I said," continued Professor Longbottom, "This year is your last at Hogwarts as students, so I have to make sure you know what you can about Herbology. In honor of this, I have selected some pretty rare plants for us to take care of. Now, a couple of these are newly discovered plants, and others are older plants. But most of them are poisonous and maybe deadly. So, I have given you a little present so you will be safe. In front of you, you will see gloves that are very popular in the Magical Plant and Wildlife Division in the Ministry. They can keep you from getting poisoned or bitten, but I will always have antidotes, which have been selected by our dear Madam Pomfrey. Now, with that said..."

Professor Longbottom walked over to a ledge and took a box of small potted plants back to the main table. He put on his gloves and held up a small orange plant.

"Can anyone tell me what this is?" he asked.

Unsurprisingly, Jane, whom had always taken a liking to asking questions, raised her hand. Alice raised her hand too. This was a surprise though. She never participated much in her father's class. She was afraid she would get embarrassed.

"Ah... Alice?" said Professor Longbottom.

"That is an Orange Jawstone plant," said Alice, "It comes from Africa."

"I thought you might know about this one," said Professor Longbottom, "Ten points to Gryffindor. Now, the Orange Jawstone is named because of its defense. Okay, let's see."

He walked over to another table and took a jar of flobberworms and brought it back.

"Now, the Orange Jawstone doesn't like to be bothered," he said, taking a flobberworm from the jar and lowering it over the plant, "If it feels threatened it..."

Suddenly, the plant quickly opened what seemed to be its mouth and took the flobberworm, swallowing it whole. The students gasped.

"It... does that," said Professor Longbottom, "As you can see, it is named the Jawstone because it has a mouth and it clamps its victims in it's jaw and doesn't let go easily. Nice little defense, huh? Well, it needs this defense because many creatures like to eat these plants. The plants aren't poisonous, they just bite. Magical Creatures will consume them for their vitamins."

"Swooners like them alot," said Alice.

"Yes, that is correct," said Professor Longbottom.

Some students giggled. Professor Longbottom, like his daughter and wife, believed firmly in creatures that were so rare, they were thought to be made up.

"So, this is what I want you to do," said Professor Longbottom, "Don't worry, you won't have to touch them... yet. I want you to draw and diagram these plants. Your Advanced Herbology books should help you with this. I expect the diagrams on Wednesday... if you please."

-----------------------------------

After Herbology, the Gryffindors headed inside for Defense Against the Dark Arts Class. When Jamie and the others arrived, they noticed that Malfoy and the Slytherins were also in the class.

"Great, this class is always with the Slytherins," said Jane.

Jamie and the others took some seats in the front. A couple of minutes later, Professor Lupin walked in and up to his podium.

"Well, it is good to see that all of you are safe and back at Hogwarts," he said, "As you know this is your last year at Hogwarts, so this will be a very important class. This year, I will teach you about spells in which you will need to know for your future lives, including defensive spells. Now, I believe that last year we didn't get around to mastering conjuring spells without speaking them, so we will begin with those. As you know, I do quite a few hands-on lessons, like we will do today, but you will also be referring to your books. The book for this year happens to be one of my favorites: 'Defending Yourself Against What Is To Come'. Now, this was written when the magical world was still at war, but it is still quite useful. As we all know, there are still many dangers in the world and we have to defend ourselves against them if we have to. So that is what I will make sure you know by the time you leave Hogwarts."

Professor Lupin walked in front of his podium and looked at the students again. He usually did this when he was figuring out who he would use as his "guinea pigs" for the class, which he did a lot.

"Miss Potter," Profesor Lupin said, "Would you please come up to the front?"

Jamie nodded and walked up to the front of the class. She wasn't that surprised he called her. She was one of his favorite students. All she was worried about was that Professor Lupin would also call up...

"Mr. Malfoy," said Professor Lupin, "Up here please."

_Ugh! Anyone but him,_ Jamie thought.

Unfortunately, Professor Lupin had never been known to be very good at reading minds. Romeo shrugged and walked up to the front of the class.

"All right," said Professor Lupin, "Now, I want to see how well you remember doing non-verbal spells. So, Miss Potter, I want you to have a disarming duel with Mr. Malfoy, and please only use non-verbal spells. Also, blocking spells are very good too... remember that."

Jamie sighed, but walked over to one side of the class room. A duel with Romeo Malfoy... not exactly what she wanted! Although Jamie did very well on a broomstick against Romeo, she had never been known to duel very well, especially using non-verbal spells.

"Now remember," said Professor Lupin, "Non-verbal disarming spells and blocking spells only. And I will know if you don't do it right. One... two... three."

Jamie was trying to concentrate on the non-verbal spell, when she was thrown backward on the floor.

"Well, well, very good, Mr. Malfoy," said Professor Lupin, "Ten points to Slytherin."

Jamie was about to get up when Malfoy walked over to her and offered her his hand.

"Oh... thanks," said Jamie.

Jamie grabbed Romeo's hand and Romeo helped her up. As she let go, she felt a shock rush through her hand.

"No problem," said Romeo.

"All right, you two may sit back down," said Professor Lupin, "Thank you for participating."

As Jamie walked over to her desk, she couldn't help but think about what just happened. It seemed that for a moment, Romeo was actually being nice to her. Something Jamie thought would never happen. And what was that strange shock that went through her hand? _Static_, she thought, _Yeah, that is what it was. The static raced through the floor and up through my hand. That was the only explanation._

"All right," said Professor Lupin, "Now, I want you to open your books and read about non-verbal spells. By Wednesday, I want you to practice them so we can do more in the class, understand? Find a partner and practice by then. Open your books to page thirteen and read the chapter 'So you thought you knew all about non-verbal spells...' A very good chapter, indeed. It will help you out."

Jamie opened her book and started turning the pages. She heard whispering and turned around. Malfoy was talking to his friends. When he noticed she was looking at him, he smirked at her. Rolling her eyes, Jamie turned back to her book.

The rest of the day wasn't very eventful. The History of Magic lesson had a bit to do with the second war and Harry Potter's involvement, which Jamie probably knew anyway, so she rested her head on the desk, something she was used to doing in History of Magic. Later that night, as Jamie was doing some of her homework, she was about to ask Jane for help, but she noticed that Jane was occupied with Joseph. She smirked at her best friend and decided she had to much to think about so she went up to bed and fell into a dreamless sleep.

-------------------------------------------------------------

**Okay, so it wasn't the best chapter so far... but I hope it was good. It will get better...**

Feedback very much appreciated as always!


	4. Quidditch Tryouts

Chapter 4  
Quidditch Tryouts

The first week of school was already over and in Jamie's opinion, it hadn't been very exciting. Unfortunately the Slytherins were in two more of Jamie's classes which meant that Romeo was with them. In Care of Magical Creatures class, Romeo had quite the fear of Crups, which is what Hagrid assigned for the students to take care of. The first sight of them, Romeo bumped into Jamie nearly knocking her over. This had caused a very awkward moment between the two, ending with Romeo giving Jamie his trademark smirk and Jamie walking off in the other direction toward Alice and Jane, both who had been laughing at what had happened and stopped as soon as Jamie had walked toward them.

In order for Jamie to forget some of the moments that had been happening, she had decided it was about time for Quidditch try-outs to take place. So she had announced that on Saturday at ten-o-clock in the morning, the try-outs would happen. The only spots that were available to try out for was one Chaser spot, the Keeper spot, and a Beater spot, which she had announced the previous day.

The morning of the try-outs, Jamie woke up and dressed in her Quidditch robe, her new Quidditch Captain badge gladly pinned on the front. Jane and Alice were already in the common room when Jamie arrived. Richie, James, and Joseph were also there. Richie was polishing his broomstick, getting it ready for the try-outs. The others were deep in conversation about something that had James laughing.

"Yeah, I couldn't believe it when I heard," said James, still laughing a bit, "I thought those two were meant to be."

"What are you talking about?" Jamie asked her brother.

"Oh, you didn't hear?" James asked, "Jasmine Nott dumped Malfoy."

"Really?" Jamie asked, "No, I didn't hear about that."

"Yeah," said James, "Now, I don't know if this is true, but I heard that Jasmine was eavesdropping on Malfoy, and she heard him talking to or about someone else... a girl. I hear he seemed to fancy this girl too. So, I guess Jasmine broke up with him..."

"That is a really stupid reason to break up with someone," said Jamie.

"Yeah, well, when has Jasmine ever shown signs of being smart," said James.

"Good point," said Jamie, "Well, I am going to go down to breakfast. I am kinda hungry."

"Oh, Joseph and I will go with you too," said Jane, "We do have to fulfill our Head Boy and Girl duties."

"I will catch up with you later, guys," said Alice, "I want to finish this last bit on the essay I have to do."

"Have fun," Jane said sarcastically, as she, Joseph and Jamie walked out of the common room.

As they walked down the hall, Brooke Longbottom walked around the corner with a couple of her Ravenclaw friends.

"Oh, hey Brooke!" Jamie called to her.

"Oh, hi," said Brooke, "I know who you guys are. Alice talks about you all the time."

"Yeah, are you looking for her?" asked Jamie, "She is in the Gryffindor Common Room working on homework. She will be down in the Great Hall in a little bit."

"Oh, thanks," said Brooke, as she walked off with her friends.

"She is nothing like her sister," Joseph said as Brooke and her friends walked around the corner, "Alice is... you know, kind of weird, and well... Brooke isn't."

"That is why she is in Ravenclaw, though," said Jamie.

Jamie, Joseph and Jane walked down the hall toward the Great Hall, deep in conversation.

------------------------------------

Around ten-o-clock, Jamie and the rest of the present Gryffindor Quidditch team, including Joseph, were at the Quidditch Pitch waiting for the students who would try-out. Jane and James were in the stands as spectators. This was a really surprising move with James. He didn't like Quidditch that much, but he decided he would support Richie.

Richie, as well as the other students who wanted to try-out started to come down to the field with their brooms. There were about thirty in all. Jamie could tell right away who the students were that wanting the vacant Beater spot, because they were tall and looked very strong. When everyone took a seat on the Pitch, Jamie stood up in front of them.

"Well, first of all I would like to say thank you all for coming down," she said, "We only need three new players, a Beater, Chaser and Keeper."

Richie pointed to himself in a "that will be me!" kind of motion.

"You will get your chance, Richie," said Jamie, "All of you will. Right now, we are going to find a new Beater. So all of you wanting to be Beaters, come up here."

Around ten of the students stood up and walked over to where Jamie was standing.

"All right," said Jamie, "One at a time, each of you will fly up into the air and chase the Bludgers with Creevey, the other Beater, and show us what you can do. Creevey knows more about being a Beater than I do, so he will judge you and tell me who is the best."

One at a time, the ten hopeful Beaters showed off their skills and thirty minutes later, a new Beater, Dawes, had joined the team.

Jamie decided that the students who wanted to try out as Chaser would go next.

"Joseph is going to help you guys and make sure we pick someone who he and Johnson can work with," instructed Jamie.

It turned out that this was going to be a hard decision to make. Three of the ten Chasers were superb when working with Johnson, but it turned out one of them had a grudge with Joseph that Jamie didn't know about.

"I don't know what his problem was," said Joseph as he landed back down on the ground, "Probably jealous of me."

Jamie smirked and said, "So, Joey, who do you think would be right for the team?"

"Well, we could always pick Wood," said Joseph.

"You mean Oliver Jr.?" asked Jamie, "Joey, he is the son of my Dad's old Captain. People would call favoritism or something of that sort just because my Dad knows his Dad."

"He is the best Chaser of everyone who has tried out," said Joseph, "Richie is lucky he didn't try out for Keeper. Knowing his Dad, he would have been great."

In the end, Jamie agreed with Joseph and Oliver Wood, Jr. was the new Chaser. Then it was time for the Keeper try-outs. Richie would be one of the contenders for it, but he had competition. Garret McClaggen was one of the students trying out and Jamie thought he could block anything that could come his way. Ten minutes into the Keeper, try-outs it was Richie's turn. Richie flew into the air over to the hoops.  
"Wood, I want to see how you can score some goals with a Keeper in the air," Jamie called from the ground, "Let's see how you work with who might be out future Keeper!"

Wood agreed and took the Quaffle. He flew through the air, weaving through the stands, toward the hoop. Wood threw the Quaffle toward the hoop, which Richie caught just in time.

"You're good, Wood," said Richie, "But let's see if you can do better!"

"Easy, Richie!" Jamie called from the ground, "Wood is already on the team. You are the one trying out, remember!"

"Sorry, cuz!" Richie yelled.

Richie threw the Quaffle back through the air and Wood sped toward it and caught it. He flew back toward hoop, circled the hoops and threw the Quaffle toward the middle one. Richie caught it again.

"You will have to do better than that to get past Ron Weasley's son!" yelled Richie.

Wood did do better. The next two shots, Richie only caught with his fingertips, but would have missed if he was a second too late.

"All right, last chance, Richie!" said Jamie, "Wood, this time I want to see some passing with Joseph!"

"Yes, mam!" said Wood, taking the Quaffle again and flying toward the hoop. Joseph came up beside him and Wood threw the Quaffle to him. Joseph caught the Quaffle and circled the hoops, then threw the Quaffle back to Wood, who threw it to the hoop. Richie caught it just in time.

"Five out of five," said Richie, as he landed back on the ground a minute later, "Beat that, McClaggen!"

McClaggen was the only contender left, and the only person that could take the Keeper spot from Richie. McClaggen flew into the air toward the hoops. McClaggen caught the oncoming Quaffle one... two... three... four times.

"Jane," said James, up in the stands, "We have to do something or your little brother isn't going to be on the team."

"Oh no," said Jane, "I am Head Girl, I am not doing a thing."

"Fine," sighed James, "Then I guess McClaggen is just going to get a little taste of what James Harry Potter can do!"

Up in the air, Joseph, with Quaffle in hand, was speeding toward the hoop and McClaggen. Right when Joseph threw it, James yelled "Hey McClaggen, you stink!" which McClaggen heard and looked to see where this rude insult had come from. The Quaffle flew past his head through the middle hoop.

"Well, congratulations, Richie," Jamie said on the field, "You are on the team... thanks to my little brother."

"That is what best friends and cousins are for!" Richie smirked.

Jamie congratulated the new members of the team and stayed behind while the others left, promising she would be up at Hogwarts in a few minutes. What she really wanted to do was get up in the air. She hadn't been flying for a while, and she wanted to feel the rush of it again. Besides, she needed some practice with the Snitch. So, Jamie released the snitch from its holding case and watched as it flew into the air. She then climbed on her broom and sped into the air.

She stopped in the air and looked for the Snitch, which she spotted flying around the middle hoop. She sped toward it, but noticed something off to the right... or someone. A tall blonde-haired boy was watching her. And he had a big smirk on his face. Remembering she was up in the air, Jamie tried to get her concentration on the Snitch. The Snitch headed for the ground, and Jamie flew toward it. But for some reason she couldn't pull up. She was headed straight toward the Pitch...

------------------------------------------------------

**All right, I admit, it was a cruel cliffhanger... but I wanted it to end that way. I hope you liked this chapter. I won't be cruel and leave you hanging though... I will try to get the next chapter up soon.**

I would love feedback, as always


	5. Falling For You

Chapter 5  
Falling For You

**_  
_**  
"Oh, I guess you can come in and see her," said a sweet, motherly voice.

"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey," said another voice, this time a male's voice.

"Madam Pomfrey?" muttered Jamie, opening her eyes. She looked around and saw curtains all around her. She then realized she was laying in a bed, "Oh, Merlin. What happened? Oh... my head."

"I must say that she is still asleep though," said Madam Pomfrey's voice.

"No... I am awake now," muttered Jamie.

"Okay, I guess she is awake," said Madam Pomfrey.

The curtain opened and Madam Pomfrey was standing there. Romeo Malfoy was standing beside her.

"I will just let you two talk," said Madam Pomfrey, "Don't be long though, Potter's friends were going to come up too. I don't want a bunch of you in the room at the same time. It is the Hospital Wing, you know!"

"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey," Romeo said, sitting down.

"I wasn't expecting to see you, Malfoy," said Jamie, as Madam Pomfrey walked away.

"Hello to you too," Romeo said to her, "How do you feel?"

"I feel like I walked into a brick wall," said Jamie.

"Oh, close enough," said Romeo, "What's the last thing you remember?"

"Well," said Jamie, pausing, "I remember flying in the air... and then... seeing someone. It was you, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, I was going to do some flying myself," said Romeo, "But you were in the air, so I just watched you."

"The last thing I remember was falling toward the ground," said Jamie, "But that might have been a dream."

"No, it wasn't a dream," said Romeo, "I witnessed it. I actually saved you, I guess you could say. You crashed and I brought you up here."

"Heh, guess I was falling for you," Jamie said before she could stop her self. She then realized what she had said. "Oh, I mean..."

"Nice joke, Potter," said Malfoy, "Didn't know you had it in you."

"That's me," said Jamie, "Hilarious Jamie Potter. So... why did you... as you called it... save me?"

"You were unconscious, Potter," said Romeo, "I couldn't just leave you."

"My hero," said Jamie, rolling her eyes.

Romeo blushed at this. This time, it was Jamie who smirked.

"Well, well, Malfoy," said Jamie, "I didn't know Slytherins could blush."

"Well, we can," said Romeo, "Why do you think I saved you?"

"Well, let's see, this is Malfoy I am talking to," said Jamie, "So... I would say that you thought if you ever wanted to do something stupid like ask me out, that I would do something stupid and say yes!"

"Really?" Romeo asked her, "And why would you say that?"

"Oh come on," said Jamie, "I know Jasmine broke up with you."

"I don't really care about her right now," said Romeo, "Anyway... what would you actually say if I asked you out on a date?"

"Well," Jamie said, smirking, "You did technically 'save me' so it would be wrong to not say yes."

"Really?" Romeo said.

"Really," said Jamie, "So are you asking me out?"

Romeo blushed again. "Yeah, I guess I am," he said.

"Then I guess I will say yes," said Jamie, "So when are we going to have this date, Malfoy?"

"We don't go to Hogsmeade for another month," said Romeo.

"You want to wait a month?" said Jamie.

"You are that eager to go on a date with me?" Romeo said, smirking, "Fine... next Friday. Both of us don't have classes that day, right? So we could have a nice lunch in the Come and Go Room."

"You mean the Room of Requirement?" Jamie asked, "Wow, romantic."

"I am saying that no one would find us," said Romeo, "It may be a date, Potter, but I do have a reputation to protect. Malfoys and Potters aren't supposed to like each other, remember?"

"Fine," said Jamie, "I won't tell my friends if you don't tell any of your friends... or anyone else."

"Deal," said Romeo.

"You know... you can be sweet sometimes," said Jamie. Jamie leaned over to Romeo and kissed him on the cheek.

"Okay, easy, Potter," said Romeo, turning red, "Well, I better go. Your friends might want to check up on you soon. Remember... Friday around noon."

"I will be there and you better be there too," said Jamie.

"I was the one who asked you out, Potter," said Malfoy, standing up and walking toward the door. As Malfoy reached for the door handle, the door opened. Jamie couldn't see who had opened the door.

"What are you doing here, Malfoy?" said a voice that sounded a lot like James.

"I was seeing how your sister was, Potter," said Romeo, "I was the one that brought her up here if you didn't know."

Jamie heard a "hmmph" sound and watched Romeo walk out of the room. A second later, James walked into the Hospital Wing, followed by Jane, Joseph, Richie, and Alice.

"Oh thank Merlin, you are okay," said Jane walking quicker than the others and sitting next to Jamie's bed, "What do you think you were doing?"

"It was an accident," said Jamie, "I was practicing chasing the Snitch and... I lost control of the broom, I guess."

"Malfoy said he was the one that brought you up here?" James said, "What was he doing down there?"

"He was going to do some practicing too and saw me," said Jamie, "So he waited... and he saw me crash."

"Great," said James, "I am sure it is going to be all over the school that the Captain of the Gryffindor team crashed."

"It won't be all over the school," said Jamie.

"This is Malfoy we are talking about," said James, "He witnessed what happened. Of course he is going to talk about it."

"If he does, he does," said Jamie.

Jamie decided that the conversation was getting to close to the "danger point" and knew she could blurt out something about what just went on between her and Romeo, so she decided to change the subject.

"So what has been going on the past few hours," said Jamie.

"We had a big party, welcoming in the new team members," said Joseph, "We were hoping you would be there..."

"Sorry, guys," said Jamie.

"All right, all right," said Madam Pomfrey, walking over to Jamie's bed, "Miss Potter needs to get something to eat. So, you can all come back later. Miss Potter will have to stay the night so I can make sure nothing serious happened."

After a series of "awws" and complaints, Jamie's friends, cousins, and brother had all left the room. Madam Pomfrey gave Jamie some soup and said it had some special vitamins in it that could cure headaches. Hoping these vitamins didn't come from the Orange Jawstone plants, Jamie at her soup.

The good thing about being alone in bed in the Hospital Wing was that it gave you time to think. Jamie thought a lot about what had happened earlier with Romeo and decided in the end it was Romeo who was doing the flirting... not her. She would go on that date, as promised... and hopefully, she privately thought, she would have some fun.

-------------------------------------------------------

**THAT was a fun chapter to write! Yeah, that was sort of a small chapter, but I had it in my head, so it went fast... hoped you liked it. In Romeo's mind, he did "save" Jamie, even though she had crashed, so technically... he did save her life.**

This is the chapter I know some of you couldn't wait for... would love some feedback


	6. The Secret Date

Chapter 6  
The Secret Date

Jamie was trying her best to not give away the fact that she would be going on a date the following Friday with Romeo Malfoy... and was doing a pretty good job. Surprisingly, no one except Jamie, her friends and Romeo Malfoy knew what had happened down on the Quidditch Pitch. Jamie supposed that Romeo was really wanting this date with her and was trying to stay on her good side.

It is quite hard to keep a secret about a certain boy... well, secret... especially when your friends continue to pick on that certain boy. It is worse when they expect you to make fun of that boy too. Jamie had kept more secrets from her friends in the past few days, then she had her whole life. She wasn't the kind of person who kept secrets! But when it came down to risking a date with the boy she was supposed to hate, Jamie knew she had to do something unusual.

It is also hard to keep a certain secret when the boy you secretly like keeps writing you letters. The Tuesday before the date, Romeo had written what he had called a "reminder letter" to Jamie. Jamie figured she had to put the situation in her own hands, so she did something she thought she would never do. That Wednesday, the day after she had received Romeo's letter, Jamie had stayed behind and watched her friends go into the Great Hall. Jamie walked over to the door that led to the dungeon, and when Romeo walked out from the dungeons, Jamie dragged him into the maintenance closet, which, to Jamie's good fortune, was empty.

"Whoa, Potter," Romeo said, with a surprised look on his face, "I thought we agreed to keep this date secret."

"That is hard to do when you keep writing me letters, Malfoy!" hissed Jamie.

"I sent my owl to your dorm, Jamie," said Romeo, "I am not dumb enough to send you letters at breakfast."

"Alice and Jane are two of my room mates," said Jamie, "And they know me best. You are lucky they didn't hear your bloody owl pecking on the window! It would be hard for me to keep this date secret if I had to tell them why Romeo Malfoy's owl was sitting outside my window!"

"Okay, okay," said Romeo, "I understand."

"And would you please not follow me around the halls," said Jamie, "My friends keep asking if I am sick or something because I am not throwing insults at you!"

"You don't want to insult me?" asked Romeo, "Wow."

"Look, Romeo," said Jamie, "The reason I said yes to this date on Friday is because I really do want to have the date. I want to see if you can actually be a gentleman around me. And I don't want to screw it up by having our friends find out that we are dating!"

"Dating?" asked Romeo, "As in... more than one date?"

"Yes, Romeo, more than one date," said Jamie, "But don't bet on it if you intend to keep on doing stuff like you have been doing. Now if you excuse me, I am going to go get some breakfast. And wait for a couple of minutes before you decide to come out. I don't want people to see us walking out together... especially since we are inside an empty closet."

"Fine, fine," said Romeo, "But please, Potter, lay off the coffee. You are already hyper enough today."

Jamie rolled her eyes and walked out of the closet. Thankfully, no one was around. She walked into the Great Hall and when Jane asked where she was, she replied with a "I forgot something for class." remark. As Jamie was getting some bacon and scrambled eggs, she had realized she had just lied to her best friend, but decided it was for the best. Anyway, it wasn't the first time that week she had lied to her.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

It turned out that Romeo had been true to his word, because he hadn't bothered Jamie anymore. He hadn't even given her trademark smirk in Defense Against the Dark Arts, and when Professor Lupin asked for them to show off their non-verbal skills again, he had let Jamie win. Jamie supposed this was just his way to apologize to her without giving away anything. Many of their friends just happened to be watching their little duel.

_Peck! Peck! Peck!_

It was Friday morning and the day that Jamie and Romeo would have their little secret date in the Room of Requirement. Jamie opened her eyes and looked out the window. Romeo's eagle owl was sitting on the ledge, a letter in his beak.

"I thought I told him not to send me any more letters," Jamie whispered to herself.

She got up slowly and opened the window. The owl dropped the letter in Jamie's hand and took off. Strangely enough, the letter smelled of something like the sweet odor that Professor Longbottom's plants spewed whenever they were woken up.

"Romeo, what in Merlin's name did you spray on this letter?" Jamie whispered to herself as she walked back over to her bed, sat down and closed the curtains.

Jamie opened the letter and began to read it to herself:

_Dear Jamie,_

Please don't be mad. I know you told me not to send you any more letters, but I got bored. I have been thinking what you said that day in the closet and I apologize. Though you may have already guessed I did that from what happened in Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Unless you have a cold or something, you will notice that sweet smell I sprayed onto this letter. I thought I would just give you a preview of what is to come. It is my cologne that I wear for only special occasions.

There is something I want to say, but it won't work in a letter. So, you will just have to wait.

I hope you will still meet me for lunch, I am going to bring some stuff up.

Love,

Romeo

"Romeo can be sweet when he wants to," Jamie said to herself.

Jamie heard some murmuring from Jane's bed and quickly hid the letter under her pillow. The curtain around Jane's bed opened and Jane sat up. She noticed that Jamie was up.

"Jamie, what are you doing up so early," said Jane, "It is Friday, we don't have classes today."

"Thought I heard something out the window," said Jamie, "So... you have anything planned today?"

Jamie had asked this, hoping Jane would say yes. It would be so easier getting to the Room of Requirement at noon without her friends around.

"Yeah, Joseph has something planned," said Jane, "We haven't been able to spend much time with each other because of schoolwork. I think he wants me to walk with him around the lake today, so we can spend some time alone. I have a feeling he might want to do more. He told me yesterday that I shouldn't eat much breakfast today. He has some stuff planned. Maybe a picnic."

"Aww, how romantic," said Jamie.

"Yeah," said Jane, "What were you going to do today?"

"Oh, I got a date," said Jamie, not thinking about what she was saying. She then realized what she had said and tried to correct herself. But...

"Really?" said Jane, "With who?"

"I was kidding, Jane," Jamie said, thinking quickly, "I am going to be sitting in the common room doing my homework."

"Sounds fun," said Jane.

Jamie was relieved to see that her mistake came out as a joke.

------------------------------------------------------

Lady Luck seemed to be on Jamie's side that day. By the time eleven-o-clock came, Jamie was alone in the common room. Jane and Joseph had gone to take their romantic walk around the lake and Alice had gone outside. Alice always liked the smell of fresh air when she was writing her little articles she loved to write. Richie and James weren't as lucky as seventh year students, and were in class.

Jamie decided she had better get ready for her date and walked up to her dormitory. By the time eleven forty-five had come, Jamie was in black jeans and her favorite Gryffindor shirt. Jamie felt this was nice enough for a woman her age who was going out on a first date and didn't like to wear dresses. She took her favorite possesions out of her trunk, both which were handed down to her from her father: the invisibility cloak and the Marauder's Map, and headed down to the common room.

Jamie walked out of the Gryffindor Common room and headed for the Room of Requirement. She knew where this place was because she had mistakenly found it in her fourth year. Ironically, it was the day she was trying to hide from Romeo Malfoy. She didn't know exactly what the place was until she told her father about it, and he told her what it was.

A couple minutes to noon, Jamie was nearing the location of the Room of Requirement. She removed her invisibility cloak, which she had put on so none of her friends would spot her, and walked down the hall. Romeo was waiting for her outside the room.

"Well, Potter," he said, "You are on time. You... look nice."

"I was just about to say the same thing to you," said Jamie.

"I have been here for a few minutes getting ready," said Romeo, "The room did most of the work though."

_Great, it is time to see what the Room of Requirement would look like when a Malfoy is getting ready for a date!_ Jamie thought to herself. Romeo opened the door and Jamie walked in. Her jaw nearly dropped to the floor. Jamie's first opinion was that it kind of looked like Trelawney's classroom... but different in a way. The wallpaper was a rosy shade of red, and there were candles floating around the room. The fireplace was lit, which explained why the room was kind of hot, and there was a small table with two chairs around it. A red rose and a candle were set in the middle of the table.

"You like, Potter?" Romeo said.

"I must say I am amazed," said Jamie, "How did you know I liked red?"

"I didn't," said Romeo, "The room did I guess."

"Uh-huh," said Jamie, "Malfoy, don't tell me that. You are your father's son. I would bet anything that you know how to read minds."

"That hurt, Potter," said Romeo, "Really. But it is true, I did read your mind to see what your favorite color was."

"I would appreciate it," said Jamie, "If you left my mind alone."

"Jamie, I wanted this date to be nice," said Romeo, "I didn't want this room to have a nice shade of green when I know that it can't be your favorite color."

"You could have asked me, you know," said Jamie, "Whatever, let's just sit down."

"You will like what we are having," said Romeo, "I brought up chicken and rolls and stuff like that."

"Aww, my favorite," said Jamie, "Another thing you got on your journey through my head?"

"I watch you eat," said Romeo.

Jamie quickly sat down to hide the fact that she was blushing.

"None of your friends know that you aren't in your Common Room, right?" Romeo asked, as he was sitting down.

"No, they are busy," said Jamie.

Jamie and Romeo continued to talk while they ate the lunch. They talked about themselves, letting the other get to know more about them. It's funny how much you don't know about a person, even though you knew them for at least seven years. But then there was the little fact that they thought they hated each other. Jamie couldn't help but thinking that maybe Romeo wasn't like his father. He seemed a lot sweeter than she would have thought.

"Would you like some champagne?" Romeo asked, nodding over to a bottle on a bookshelf.

"Compliments of the room, eh?" Jamie asked, "Oh, fine, I guess."

As Malfoy stood up and walked over to the other side of the room, Jamie took out her Marauder's Map and got the shock of her life. Two dots with the names of "Joseph Lupin" and "Jane Weasley" were headed their way.

"Uh, Malfoy," said Jamie, "Rain check on that champagne! We have to go. We got company coming!"

Jamie jumped up and pocketed her map. She took out the cloak and put it around herself. She then put it around Malfoy and dragged him out of the room, before he could say anything. They hurried down the hall and around the corner, when they heard voices.

"Joseph, you can be such a romantic guy," Jane's voice rang through the hall, "Where are we going?"

"Great, this is just what I wanted" Malfoy whispered, "To have my date cut short by the Head couple!"

"I am sorry about that," said Jamie, "I should have thought about it when Jane said they were going to have lunch. Bad timing, eh? I..."

Suddenly, Jamie realized how close she was to Romeo. Romeo smirked at her, leaned in and kissed her. Thirty seconds later, Jamie backed away.

"I should smack you, you know," said Jamie, smirking, "But that was actually nice."

"My thoughts exactly," said Romeo, "I guess that means another date?"

"Yeah," said Jamie, "But... we better go before someone finds us. We already had one close call."

Romeo walked Jamie back to the Gryffindor Common Room and said goodbye. This time it was Jamie who leaned in for the kiss. Thirty seconds later, Romeo backed away, blushing He said he didn't want to get caught near the Gryffindor Common room, and left.

"He can be so annoying sometimes," said Jamie, rolling her eyes, "But that is what makes him cute actually. Buttercup."

The Fat Lady's portrait opened and Jamie went inside, back to the warmth of the Gryffindor common room.

------------------------------------------------------

**I know, I know... awww! Right? That was the point of the chapter... that was really fun to write. Not sure if I can get another chapter up today... might be lucky enough to, you never know.**

Feedback... as always, is much appreciated.


	7. A Very Shakespeare esque Dream

Chapter 7  
A Very Shakespeare-esque Dream

Over the next couple of days, Jamie couldn't help but think about Romeo and the date she had with him in the Room of Requirement. Oh, how she wished it could have been longer, but she knew their date was secret, and almost risked that secret getting out when Jane and Joseph just happened to decide to bring their date inside.

Since that wonderful day, Jamie had to be very careful about her secret relationship with Romeo. Once or twice, she found herself writing Romeo's name on her History of Magic notes and realized it seconds before Jane looked over at her to see what she was doing. Jamie, having been doing pretty well with her non-verbal spells, wiped Romeo's name away clean. Jamie really wanted to talk to Romeo, because she still hadn't found out if Romeo liked their date or not, but it was getting to be very hard. She was always with her friends and couldn't get any time alone. Finally after her final class that Thursday, she saw Romeo walking down the hall and had an idea.

"Hey, guys, I will catch up with you," Jamie said to Jane, Joseph and Alice, "I have to go to the little witches' room."

"All right, Jamie," said Jane, "We will see you later."

Jane, Joseph and Alice walked ahead of her and disappeared around the corner. Jamie ran into an empty classroom and waited for Romeo. A minute later, Romeo came into sight and Jamie pulled him into the class room.

"Whoa, what is going on?" said Romeo, who then finally realized who had pulled him into the room, "Jamie, hi…"

"Hey, Romeo," said Jamie.

"You know," said Romeo, smirking, "Before last week, I doubt you would have done this to me. But this is the second time in two weeks you have dragged me into an empty room."

"Yeah, sorry," said Jamie, "I wanted to talk to you."

"Really?" Romeo asked.

"Yeah, I uh…" Jamie said, "Kind of missed you."

"Missed me?" Romeo said, "We have been in nearly every class together, Jamie!"

"You know what I mean," said Jamie, rolling her eyes, "You know… alone. We are always with our friends when we see each other."

"Well, to tell you the truth, I thought you actually didn't like our date," said Romeo.

"Like it?" Jamie asked, "I kissed you remember! I wouldn't have done it if I thought our date was bloody boring! That was one of the best nights of my life!"

"Really?" Romeo asked, "Haven't been on much dates, have you?"

Jamie turned away from Romeo.

"You haven't?" Romeo asked, walking closer to Jamie.  
"For your information," said Jamie, "I am kind of shy!"

"Shy? Really?" Romeo asked, "The daughter of Harry Potter, shy? I would expect boys would be lining up to ask you out."

"I am not as popular as my father was," said Jamie, walking over to a chair and sitting down, "And actually, it doesn't bother me."

"Popular?" Romeo said, sitting down in the chair next to Jamie's, "Jamie, you are the star Seeker of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. I should know… you beat me a lot, remember. And besides that, you are the captain of the team."

"A captain who crashes her broomstick when she can't get control of it," said Jamie, a tear going down her face, "I am lucky I still have a broom."

"Yeah… well," said Romeo.

"Well what… Romeo?" Jamie asked him.

"It was…" Romeo said, pausing a bit, "It was a one-time thing. You are a brilliant flyer, Jamie."

Romeo wiped the tear away from Jamie's cheek. Jamie smiled.

"And who cares if there are no boys lining up to ask you out?" Romeo asked, "You got me, remember?"

"You don't hate me still?" Jamie asked.

"No, Jamie," said Romeo, "I don't hate you…your brother is kind of annoying. And let's not forget it was your friends who interrupted our date."

"You talk too much, Romeo," said Jamie. Jamie leaned over and kissed him.

When Romeo backed away thirty seconds later, he looked at Jamie, smirked and said, "Aw… who cares if your friends are annoying."

Jamie smirked too.

"I haven't really told you why I dragged you in here, Romeo," Jamie said, "I was worried, I didn't know whether you liked the date or not, but I guess you did. I just don't like not being able to talk to you, that is all."

"We can always write letters," said Romeo, "And of course you can drag me into a room whenever I don't expect it… that seems to be working for us."

This remark made Jamie giggle.

"Well, er… we better go before someone decides to use this classroom for something," she said.

"Yeah, I wouldn't want your friends to nearly walk in on us again," Romeo said.

Jamie rolled her eyes and left the classroom alone. She walked in the direction of the Great Hall, where she had been going before she needed to get away from her friends.  
------------------------------------------------------------------

"_What is wrong?"_

"Malfoy… he's missing."

"Romeo Malfoy?"

"Who cares? He's a Slytherin…"

Indistinct conversations could be heard from all around as Jamie walked down the hallway. Jamie could make out a few of the sentences as she walked. How could they talk that way about Romeo? Romeo was only like his father in looks. Jamie knew this. Romeo was sweet, and unlike a Slytherin in many ways.

But as she walked down the hall, she realized what they were talking about. Romeo was nowhere to be found. Then a thought came to Jamie's mind… Romeo wasn't in any of the classes that day. Was he sick? Should she ask his friends?

No, she thought, no, that would give away something for sure.

Jamie brushed her hand down the side of her jeans and felt something in her pocket. The Marauder's Map! Jamie remembered she had been carrying it with her a lot now. That was the key to finding Romeo! Jamie ran down the hall and over to the stairwell. When she saw that no one was around, she took the map from her pocket.

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good," Jamie said.

The map began to reveal itself. Jamie opened the map and looked through the floors. Suddenly she found "Romeo Malfoy", but it wasn't in the Slytherin Common room or any of the dormitories. It was on the seventh floor in the Room of Requirement.

The only thought that went through Jamie's head was that Romeo was waiting for her there. Forgetting to wipe the map clean, she shoved it in her pocket and ran up the stairs and headed for the seventh floor.

When she arrived to the seventh floor, Jamie ran down the corridor and over to where the Room of Requirement was. She got a surprise when a door was standing where a blank wall should be. Jamie opened the door slowly and looked in. The room was very small and dark. The only light in the room was a greenish glow in the far left corner. Jamie could see a bed there. She closed the door and walked over to the bed. Through the glow, she could make out a lump in the bed. She then saw something else… Romeo! He was laying on the bed very still.

"No… Romeo?" Jamie said, tears welling in her eyes.

Jamie moved her feet a bit and heard a CRUNCH! She looked down and saw what looked like a broken vial. The broken glass was laying on a piece of parchment. Jamie could see some ink glowing in the greenish tinge of the light. She picked up the paper and let the bits of glass slide off of it. She moved the letter to the light and began to read it:

Jamie, My Love:

I am sorry it had to be this way. My father found out that we were dating and he got really mad about it. Over the past few years I have been trying to keep my secrets about my father secret, but he seems to have gotten to the point where I can't do anything with him. He is vengeful about what had happened to my grandfather and the Dark Lord so many years ago and he seems to be uncontrollable. I was afraid to report his whereabouts to the Ministry of Magic, but I don't think it would have been too good anyway. He seems to be able to move around a lot and I don't know where he goes.

A couple days ago, he contacted me in a letter and said that he knew what was going on here at Hogwarts. He knows, Jamie. He knows that you and I were dating. I was afraid to do anything about it and I couldn't break up with you. I love you too much and this is the only way. I found out how to do a certain potion and I will not speak of its name. I had to drink the potion. It was the only way to keep you safe. Jamie, I want you to leave Hogwarts. I want you to return to your father and be safe. Tell him if you must, but warn your father about mine. I fear something could happen.

Goodbye, my love. I trust we will see each other again.

Always Remember,

Romeo Malfoy

"No, Romeo," said Jamie, tears streaming down her face, "It can't be… this can't be true!"

Jamie fell to her knees, sobbing on the sheets of the bed.

"Jamie!" said a voice, "Jamie, wake up!"

Jamie opened her eyes slowly and sat up.

"What… where…" she said as she looked around. Jane was standing next to her bed.

"It was just a dream, Jamie," Jane said, "It's okay."

Jamie looked down at herself. Her pajamas were soaked with sweat.

"Just a dream," Jamie said to herself, "It was so real…"

"Do you want to tell about it, Jamie?" Jane asked her.

"I…" Jamie said, but then she realized what she was about to do. If she told Jane about the dream, it would ruin everything. Besides, it was just a dream. It wasn't real…. "No, no, it is okay, Jane," she finally answered her friend.

"Are you sure?" Jane asked her.

"Yeah, Jane, I am fine," said Jamie, "I just need some air. I am going to get dressed."

"I will go with you," said Jane.

"No!" Jamie said before she could stop herself, "I… I mean, no. You probably want to spend some time with Joseph. I just need some time to think…"

"Oh… okay," said Jane.

------------------------------------------------------

Jamie quickly got dressed and walked down to the common room. She walked silently out of the empty common room. Most of the students were down in the Great Hall. Jamie was very relieved that it was Friday, because she didn't have class and she could have time to think. Jamie to the stairwell and saw that Professor Lupin was walking up the stairs. Lupin saw her and walked up to her.

"Hello, Jamie," he said, "It's a nice day out. Pity I have to stay in and teach. I might just have to take my classes out today."

"Yeah, I guess…" Jamie said.

"Something wrong, Jamie?" Lupin said, "You seem different."

"Oh, just a dream I had," said Jamie.

"A dream… really?" Lupin asked, in a suspicious tone.

"Oh, please, I don't need to hear another theory of my dreams being real," said Jamie, a bit annoyed.

"I wasn't going to say that," said Lupin, "But please, Jamie, it would cheer me up a great deal to here about this dream of yours."

"So you can tell my father about my dreams?" asked Jamie.

"I wouldn't do that, Jamie," said Lupin, "I am surprised at you today. You are usually nicer to me then this."

"I am sorry," said Jamie, "I have a lot of things on my mind."

"Come on, let's go back to my class room," said Lupin, "I would like to hear about your dream."

Jamie sighed and looked around, trying to avoid eye contact with Professor Lupin. How much would she have to tell him? After deciding that this would be for the better… if she continued to act this way, he might give her a detention anyway! Jamie nodded and followed Professor Lupin up to his class room.

"Now, Jamie," said Lupin, "Let me hear about this dream. It seems to be bothering you."

Jamie hesitated but started telling Professor Lupin about the dream. She told him nearly everything but she replaced Romeo's name with "this boy".

"And then I woke up," said Jamie, after she finished the story of the dream.

"And who was this boy?" Lupin asked her.

"I don't know who it was," Jamie lied, "Besides it was just a dream."

"That was a very powerful dream," Lupin said, "It kind of reminded me of a story I used to hear as a kid. It was a Muggle story but the Muggle was a very famous man. Jamie, have you ever heard of the story called 'Romeo and Juliet'?"

Jamie gave an inaudible gasp from the name "Romeo" but shook her head.

"I thought not," said Lupin, "Your father never heard it either. Well, it is a very famous Muggle story. See, Romeo and Juliet were in love but their families didn't like each other. In fact they were at war with each other. But Romeo and Juliet's love for each other wouldn't die. Their families found out about their relationship and forbid them to see each other again. Well, Romeo found out that Juliet's father had done this and Romeo ran away from home to think about what he had to do. Well, while he was doing this, Juliet also was thinking of a plan. Her friend told her all about a potion if she drank it, it would make her look like she was dead. She would wake up sometime later and could live a new life. Well, Juliet drank the potion and her parents found her dead… mind you, she wasn't actually dead. They were going to have a royal funeral… both Juliet's and Romeo's families were royalty… very powerful. Romeo found out about this and thought Juliet was dead. He found her laying in a church and when he saw her he killed himself."

"Wow…" said Jamie.

"Juliet woke up and found her true love dead and she killed herself as well," Lupin said.

"Yeah, I have never heard that story before," said Jamie.

"Now you see why your dream reminded me of it," said Lupin.

"But… I have never heard of that story," said Jamie, "How could I dream up something like that?"

"Hmm… well, I don't know if I should ask you this," Lupin said, "I mean… it is your privacy…"

"What, Professor?" Jamie asked.

"Well… is there a boy you fancy that you are worried about losing?" Lupin asked.

"What?" Jamie asked, surprised.

"Well, sometimes the way your mind thinks affects your dreams," said Lupin, "It was just a thought…"

"Professor, how long have you known me?" Jamie asked, "I am a shy person."

"Still doesn't mean you don't have feelings for someone," said Lupin.

"Ugh, please Professor," said Jamie, "Don't play matchmaker." This was getting way too close to Jamie spilling the truth!

"I'm sorry, Jamie," said Lupin, "I just don't want to see the daughter of one of my best friends grow up alone."

"That's sweet, Professor," said Jamie, "But this isn't like eighteen years ago when people were trying to speed up their lives."

"I know that," said Lupin, "Hey, I have an idea. I will find my copy of 'Romeo and Juliet' and let you read it… okay? You might like it."

"All right," said Jamie.

"I will try to find it and I might be able to give it to you later today," said Lupin.

"Well, you have a class soon," said Jamie, "So I better get going."

"You have a fun today," said Lupin, "It is a nice day out. Don't spend it inside working on your homework."  
"Oh, I won't," said Jamie, "Don't worry, Professor."

Jamie smiled and left the room. She had planned to find Romeo and talk to him about the dream she had. She was determined to find out if her dream was as real as it seemed.  
-------------------------------------------------

**One of the more emotional chapters I wrote...**

would love feedback...


	8. The Request

Chapter 8  
The Request

"Jamie… Jamie!" Jane said, "Are you even listening to what I am saying?"

"Huh… what?" Jamie asked, "Oh, sorry. I just got some things on my mind."

"I was just saying," Jane said, "It is a really nice day out today, and if you wanted to, we could spend it all day outside. This could be one of the last nice days of the year, you know."

"Yeah… all right," said Jamie, "Whatever."

It was Saturday morning in the great hall, and Jamie wasn't listening to much of what her friend was talking about. Romeo had just walked into the Great Hall. Jamie smirked quickly at Romeo and looked back down at her half-eaten bacon. Would she be able to tell Romeo about the dream she had? What would he think of it? Would he think she was losing her mind? Jamie wanted to know the answers to these questions. But she was afraid to tell the boy she was secretly dating that she had a dream about him, and that in her dream he was dead!

_It just isn't the right thing to tell your boyfriend, Jamie_, a voice in Jamie's mind said.

But he would want to know, wouldn't he?

_He would probably break up with you if you told him!_

He wouldn't do that!

_This is Romeo Malfoy we are talking about!_

Romeo is sweet… he wouldn't break up with me over a little dream I had. Fine, I am going to tell him!

_Fine… have it your way…_

But when and how Jamie could tell Romeo was a whole different story. There Romeo was, talking to his friends whom, as far as Jamie knew, knew nothing about their best friend's fling with Jamie Potter, and Jamie couldn't talk to him without causing questions she knew she wouldn't want to answer. Unless…

Jamie then had an idea.

"Uh, guys?" Jamie said to her friends, "I will be right back. I just remembered I need to talk to Professor Lupin."

"My Dad's eating breakfast right now," said Joseph, "It can probably wait."

_Blast!_ Jamie thought, spotting Professor Lupin sitting at the Professor's table.

"Oh yes, I guess it can," Jamie said, in a defeated tone.

"Why do you want to talk to my Dad anyway?" Joseph asked.

"I uh… just remembered he was going to lend me a book," said Jamie, "But I will wait till after breakfast."

This was true. Professor Lupin did say he was going to try and find that Muggle book for Jamie. But this was the least of Jamie's worries. This was just supposed to be a decoy to get herself away from her friends, and maybe lure Romeo toward her! Jamie knew right away this might be the start of a very long day. She already had promised Jane that she would spend the day with her, Joseph and Alice, which she now regretted doing.

_That's what you get for having your mind too full of stuff_, the voice in her head said.

Yeah, my mind is too crowded with thoughts I guess. Wait… that's it!

A sudden thought entered Jamie's mind. A couple years back Jamie's father told her about a certain item that had been given to him after Albus Dumbledore had died: The Pensieve. The Pensieve had remained at Hogwarts and the only way to get to it was with McGonagall's permission.

Jamie looked up at the Professor's table. Professor McGonagall was sitting there eating breakfast. Jamie had to talk to her. This might be the only chance all day. Besides, it would give her a chance to talk to Professor Lupin as well. Jamie stood up and began walking toward the Professor's table, getting odd looks from Jane, Joseph and Alice as she left the table.

"Yes, Miss Potter?" Professor McGonagall asked as Jamie walked up to the table, "May I help you?"

"Maybe," Jamie said, "Professor, I was wondering if could ask you something? Not really a question… more of a favor."

"Of course, Miss Potter," McGonagall said.

"I was wondering if I could… use my father's Pensieve?" Jamie asked, not really sure about the answer.

"Oh, yes, your father did tell me that you knew about it," McGonagall said.

"Yeah, he told me about it," said Jamie.

"And you need to use it?" McGonagall asked.

"Yeah, I guess," said Jamie, "I find I have too many things racing through my mind right now."

"Like… a certain dream you were telling me about?" Professor Lupin asked, "Sorry, I just happened to be listening in."

"Dream?" McGonagall asked, looking from Jamie, to Lupin, then back to Jamie, "May I ask what this dream was about?"

"I don't really want to talk about it," said Jamie.

"Well, the reason I am asking this, Miss Potter," said McGonagall, "Is because it is very hard to put a memory of a dream inside a Pensieve unless it was a very vivid one."

"Vivid?" Jamie asked, confused.

"Did it seem real?" McGonagall asked, "Was it one of those dreams that you could have swore was real?"

Jamie didn't know how to answer this. So she told the truth.

"Well, I woke up and I didn't know where I was," said Jamie, "I was actually in my dormitory… but I felt… weird."

"Then your mind made you think that it was real?" McGonagall asked, "I may not be a dream interpreter but there is certain things I do know about dreams. They can seem very real. All right… I want to hear more about this dream, and I want you to be the one who tells me. Tomorrow night, I want you to meet me in my office. There I will decide if it is right for you to use the Pensieve."

Jamie was kind of shocked about this request. All she wanted to do was clear her mind a bit, and it led to a meeting with McGonagall!

"You may have gotten permission from your father to use the Pensieve when you wish," said McGonagall, "But it just so happens to be in my office and it was also once owned by my very dear friend. I want to see that it is properly used. This is why I requested you to come to my office tomorrow night. Do you understand, Miss Potter?"

"Yes, Professor," said Jamie.

"Then I will see you tomorrow night," said McGonagall, "How about Seven p.m. sharp? Password is Bumblebee."

Jamie could have screamed out loud if it wasn't for the fact that she was standing in the middle of the Great Hall, and there were about half the student body and many professors there as well. But she stopped herself and walked down the middle of the tables, passing her friends, and leaving the Great Hall.

This is not what she wanted at all! There were too many things rushing through her mind and all she had wanted to do was clear it a bit. Between the dream she had, and the thoughts about her secret relationship she was having with Romeo Malfoy, Jamie's mind felt like it was about to explode. And it didn't help that she also had her schoolwork to worry about as well. And now she had to worry about what would happen at that meeting she was going to have with Professor McGonagall. Jamie couldn't just not show up. This was a meeting with the Headmistress of the school. A meeting the Headmistress requested just because Jamie decided to open her big mouth!

"Jamie?" a voice said behind her.

Jamie turned around. Romeo was standing at the bottom of the stairs.

"Are you okay, Jamie?" he asked, "I saw you walk out of the Great Hall. It seemed like you looked a bit mad."

"It's… nothing," said Jamie, "Okay, it's everything."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Romeo asked.

"Talk about it?" Jamie replied, "Here?"

"We could go down to the lake," said Romeo, "No one would see us. Everyone is either up in their dorm or in the Great Hall."

"Well…," said Jamie.

_This is the one person you really need to talk to, Jamie!_ the voice in Jamie's head said, _Say yes!_

"Well?" Romeo said.

"Fine," Jamie said, "Let's go."

------------------------------------------------------

A few minutes later, Jamie and Romeo arrived at the lakeshore and sat down on a large log.

"This is one of my favorite places to go," Romeo said, "It gives me a place to think."

"Yeah, it is really nice," Jamie said.

"So?" Romeo asked, "Are you going to tell me about this certain dream you had?"

"Well…" said Jamie. She then realized what he asked. "Wait… what? How do you know about that?" Jamie asked, standing up.

"Okay, I am sorry," said Romeo, "I er… read your mind again. You looked like you were upset. I wanted to know what you were upset about."

"Didn't you ever think that I didn't want to talk about the dream I had?" Jamie said, "I mean… maybe I didn't want to bring it up."

"Okay, don't get so defensive," said Romeo.

"You are the one going through my mind!" said Jamie, "And I don't mean that in a good way!"

Jamie walked over to the lakeshore, picked up a rock and threw it into the lake.

"Careful, Jamie!" said Romeo, "You don't want to wake up the Giant Squid!"

"I don't care about no stupid old Giant Squid, Romeo!" said Jamie, furiously, tears falling down her cheeks, "Here I am, trying to sort out what is going on in my mind and you decide to intrude. Just because you know Legillimency, doesn't mean you need to use it on me!"

"I already said I am sorry," said Romeo, "Holy Merlin, I mean, what is so bad about this dream that you didn't want to tell me about it?"

"In my dream, you die!" Jamie said, still furious, "Okay? Happy? Yeah, I didn't like it either!"

Jamie walked off, heading back toward the castle. Behind her, she heard Romeo say "It doesn't mean it is going to happen, Jamie! I don't know why you are so mad at me!"

Jamie continued to walk and didn't stop until she reached the castle. When she walked in, she nearly ran over Jane, Joseph and Alice.

"Whoa, Jamie," Jane said, "Slow down. What is wrong?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Jamie said, her cheeks still red from her crying, "I am going up to my dorm and I want to be alone! You guys go have your fun!"

Jamie didn't give her friends time to reply. Instead she ran up the stairs and headed for the grand staircase leading to the seventh floor. A few minutes later she reached the painting (Buttercup!) and rushed into the Common room, passing her brother and cousin who were playing wizard's chess and ran up to her dorm, where she spent the next few hours crying and deep in thought. The world's biggest Pensieve couldn't help her now.

--------------------------------------  
**Well... that chapter was full of attitude... how did you like it?**

Feedback appreciated... as always.


	9. The Day After

Chapter 9  
The Day After….

When Jamie had woken up the next morning, she had found herself still wearing her school robes. She hadn't had the energy the previous night to change into her pajamas. After her fight with Romeo, she had spent most of the day Saturday cooped up in her dormitory. When she wasn't crying or deciding whether her secret relationship with Romeo was worth all the trouble she was having, she was trying to find the spell in her schoolbooks that would lock her door so even Alohomora wouldn't work. After failing miserably, she shut the curtains around her bed, hoping it would keep unwanted company out. It didn't work. It led to the one argument with Jane that could have seriously ruined Jamie's relationship with Romeo, as well as could have stopped Jane from ever talking to Jamie again…

_Jamie was laying in her bed focusing on a fly that was roaming around the top of her four-poster bed when she heard a door slam that had scared the fly away. Jamie sighed deeply, rolled her eyes, and turned her head toward the wall._

"Jamie… Jamie!" Jane's voice rang through the room, "Would you please talk to me? I want to know what is wrong."

"Shouldn't you be spending time with Joseph?" Jamie said, her voice a bit hoarse, "I hear the Room of Requirement is empty!"

"I want to spend time with you, Jamie," said Jane, "I haven't been able to have a decent conversation with you these past few days. You seem to be troubled."

"Troubled?" Jamie said, "Yeah, that's the right word for it."

"Well," said Jane, "If you are, don't you want to at least talk about it?"

"I don't want to talk to anyone right now, Jane," said Jamie, "I think I have done enough talking for today. I do anymore, and I will explode. If I want to talk to anyone today, I will talk to myself. It seems like I am the only one who doesn't make me feel like crud."

"Come on, Jamie," said Jane.

Jamie sighed deeply again. She sat up and opened the curtains. Jane was sitting on her own bed.

"You look terrible, you know," said Jane, "Crying doesn't do you well. What are you so upset about anyway?"

"I can't tell you," said Jamie, "It is just something I have to deal with."

"Does it have to do with that dream you didn't want to tell me about either?" Jane asked.

"I already have to tell McGonagall about this dream I had," said Jamie, "So I am sure you will hear it before long. I was stupid enough to open my big mouth…"

"You are not stupid, Jamie," said Jane.

"I don't know what the deal is with people wanting to know about the dream I had," said Jamie, her fury reaching it's peak, "Just because my father had a lot of dreams that turned out to be real, doesn't mean my dreams are going to be real! And now Professor McGonagall and Lupin are making a big deal about it just because they are afraid that another one of my father's genes had shown up in me!"

"Well, did you tell anyone about your dream?" said Jane, "Maybe it sounded good enough to be real."

"I told Professor Lupin about my dream," said Jamie, "Well… I didn't tell him everything about it. I chose not to tell him everything about, because if I told him the truth, then it would just lead to somewhere I don't want it to lead!"

"Lead to where, Jamie?" said Jane, "I am confused. I know nothing about this dream and it's making me worry even more."

"Don't worry," said Jamie, "I didn't have a dream about the end of the world! Besides, like I said, you will probably know everything about it. Anytime something like this comes up, every wizard witch and ghost in Hogwarts knows about it sooner or later!"

Jamie began to cry again.

"And that is just the thing I don't want to happen," Jamie said, laying her head back down on the pillow. She then faced the wall again. She hated for people to see her cry.

"I really want to help," said Jane, "But…"

"Just… leave me alone right now," said Jamie, "I need some time to think."

Jamie wondered if Jane was going to respond, but instead she heard movement and the door slam.

Jamie didn't know how long she was going to be able to keep her relationship with Romeo Malfoy secret. Then she wondered if she had even still had a relationship with Romeo anymore. That fight down by the lake really might have reached the limits. But even while she was thinking this, Jamie knew that there could be a chance that Romeo was trying to find some way of apologizing to her. Even one of those annoying cologne-scented letters might have cheered her up a little. Jamie sat up and listened for a pecking noise outside the window, thinking that Romeo was thinking the same thing she was. But instead, Jamie heard something else. Something she really didn't need right now.

"Jamie?" said Alice's voice from the other side of her curtains, "Some of the Quidditch players were wanting to know when your first practice was going to take place. What should I tell them?"

"Quidditch… oh man," said Jamie. Jamie had so much on her mind, she had forgotten about Quidditch, "Tell them… tell them that I will try to get the field for Gryffindor next Saturday."

"All right," said Alice, "Hey, Jamie? Uh… I also wanted to know if you were feeling okay. I haven't talked to you since yesterday and you seemed pretty upset."

"I am fine right now, Alice," said Jamie, "I will be down in the Common Room in a little bit."

"All right," said Alice.

When Jamie heard the door open and shut again, she opened her curtains and stood up. She walked over to her trunk and opened it, then looked into the mirror that was attached the back of the lid and looked at herself. Jane was right… crying didn't do her well at all. As Jamie gazed into the mirror at her reflection, she decided that she was being stupid. She had never been known to act this way… it just wasn't her. But then again, she never had this many thoughts in her mind. And she never was this close to the point where she would have to tell her friends about her relationship with Romeo Malfoy, the boy she was supposed to loathe because he was a Malfoy.

The meeting with McGonagall was drawing nearer with each moment that was going by. Jamie was dreading this meeting and she knew that this would be the point in which her relationship with Romeo would most likely be revealed. What would her friends say about this? What if her father heard? How would he react? Jamie was raised to believe that the Malfoy family was one of the worst wizarding families to roam the Earth, and here she was… in love with a Malfoy!

"Oh, what am I going to do?" Jamie said to herself, as she sat back down on her bed.

_Run away_, said the voice in Jamie's head.

"I am not running away from my problems!" Jamie said, "I am a Gryffindor. I am supposed to be brave. And besides… Hogwarts is like a second home to me."

_Then you will have to just live with the fact that your family and friends are going to know about your relationship with Romeo,_ the voice said.

Jamie knew this was true, but it was something she was going to have to do.

Suddenly, a noise coming from the window interrupted Jamie's thoughts. Jamie turned around and saw Romeo's owl standing on the window sill. Jamie hopped up quickly and walked over to the window. She opened the window and let the owl in. Jamie quickly untied the letter from the owl's leg and unfolded the parchment. She began to read the letter:

_Dear Jamie,_

I know you were probably expecting a letter from me sooner than this, but I had a lot on my mind. I thought about what happened down at the lake yesterday, and I wanted to apologize for my actions. Sometimes I am just scared about what might happen to you, and it makes me do things I sometimes can't control. For example, my Legillimency. I am sorry for reading your mind without your permission and I will say I fully agree with your response to it.

One of the reasons I wrote this letter is because I wanted to say what I didn't get to say yesterday. I wanted to know if you were in any kind of trouble. I saw you talking to McGonagall, and I thought something bad might have happened. I really hope you aren't in any kind of trouble.

I have also been thinking about what you told me about your dream, and I have to say I am a bit surprised with your reaction. It was just a dream, Jamie. A silly dream, nothing more. You may be your father's daughter, but you don't have to be scared every time you have a dream that seems real. If you want to know my opinion, I think that the only reason you had this dream was because of the fact that you do care for me. All the dream did for you was confirm it.

I really want to see you again, Jamie. I hope we can talk to each other without having another fight. I know you are really upset and probably have a lot of things on your mind, so you do not have to answer me right away. I just wanted you to know that I do still care for you. So what if we have to keep this thing secret. It is actually kind of silly in my opinion. Our fathers' hatred for one another doesn't mean it has to affect us. Remember that, Jamie. I know that that is what you are afraid of.

When you are up to it, please talk to me again.

Romeo

Jamie smiled a bit after she finished the letter. It was a strange letter, but it was what she needed.

"Thanks, you may go now," Jamie told the owl.

The owl flew off and Jamie closed the window. Jamie didn't know whether she wanted to respond to the letter or not, so she decided she should just get dressed and go down to the common room.  
---------------------------------------------

When Jamie reached the bottom of the stairs, Jane walked over to her.

"How are you feeling?" Jane asked Jamie.

"A little bit better, I guess," Jamie said.

"You look hungry, let's go down to the Great Hall," Jane said, "We can meet Joseph down there. His Head Boy shift is almost over."

Jamie agreed to go down to the Great Hall, so she followed Jane out of the portrait hole and walked downstairs. When they arrived in the Great Hall, Jamie saw Romeo sitting with his friends at the Slytherin table. Romeo looked up at her and smirked. Jamie did a small smirk in reply and sat down with Jane at the Gryffindor table. She grabbed some biscuits, put them on her plate, and poured some of the white gravy over them. As she put the pitcher back, she saw Professor McGonagall talking to Professor Lupin at the Professor's table.

_You know they are talking about you_, the voice in Jamie's head said, _Of course you do. Twenty-four hours ago you started the conversation with them that is going to ruin your whole relationship with Romeo, and you know it. It's just something you will have to deal with. Your secret was going to come out sometime._

Jamie didn't really care that Professors McGonagall or Lupin were going to know that she was going out with Romeo Malfoy. Her biggest worry was that they would tell her father. They were personal friends with her father and wouldn't pass a chance like this to tell him something about his daughter.

"Jamie, are you sure you are feeling okay?" Jane asked her.

"Yeah," lied Jamie.

"Jamie, I heard about the meeting you are going to be having with Professor McGonagall and Lupin," said Jane.

_CLANK!_ Jamie's fork fell onto her plate.

"What?" Jamie said, "Who told you?"

"Jamie, my boyfriend is the son of Professor Lupin, remember?" Jane said, "And Professor Lupin tells Joseph anything."

"H-how much do you know?" Jamie asked.

"Just that you wanted to use your father's Pensieve," said Jane.

Jamie sighed deeply. Jane didn't know about the dream.

"So it's true?" Jane asked.

"Yeah, it's true," Jamie said. It was no use lying now.

"But why?" Jane asked, "You never wanted to use that old thing before."

"There's a lot going on in my mind right now," Jamie said, "That is what a Pensieve is used for, right? To clear your mind… that is what I need it for. And… er… it is in McGonagall's office, so I have to go up there. I guess you can call it a meeting…"

"Then why is Lupin going to be there?" Jane asked.

"He… er… listened into my conversation with McGonagall and said he wanted to be there," Jamie said.

"Oh…" Jane said.

Jamie knew Jane didn't believe her, but she didn't care. The longer Jane didn't know about Jamie's secret, the better.

------------------------------------------------

Before Jamie knew it, it was time to go to McGonagall's office. Jamie walked out of the Gryffindor Common Room and headed for the Headmistress' office which was on the same floor. She arrived at the statues of gargoyles outside the office and stood before them. She muttered the password ("Bumblebee!") and the statues sprung to life and moved out of the way. Jamie walked to the stairwell and headed for the Office. Jamie was about to knock on the door when she heard a conversation.

"It will be about time for Miss Potter to be here," one voice said, "Should I go get our other guest?"

"Other guest?" Jamie mouthed silently.

"Yeah, he should be home," the other voice said. Jamie recognized this voice. It was Professor McGonagall.

"I will go get him then," the first voice said.

Jamie heard footsteps and backed away. The door opened and Professor Lupin was standing in the door way.

"Oh, Jamie," he said, "You are here… good. Please come on in."

Jamie nodded and walked into the office. Professor McGonagall was sitting at her desk. The Pensieve was resting on the desk, it's glow reflecting on McGonagall's face.

"I shall be back soon," Professor Lupin said, more to Professor McGonagall then Jamie.

Professor Lupin left the office. Jamie walked towards the desk silently and sat down in one of empty chairs. Jamie noticed the two other empty chairs next to hers. She looked up at McGonagall.

"Professor McGonagall?" Jamie said, "Er… who else is going to be here for this meeting."

"Oh, Professor Lupin, of course," McGonagall said, "And one other person."

"Who?" Jamie asked.

"You will find out very soon," McGonagall said, "Now, I expect you know why we are having this meeting tonight."

"Yeah," Jamie said, "I er… wanted to use the Pensieve."

McGonagall smiled and looked down at the large bowl.

"This Pensieve is, of course, owned by your father," McGonagall said, "But it was once owned by a very dear friend of mine."

"Albus Dumbledore," said Jamie, "Yes, I know."

"Would you like to meet him?" McGonagall asked.

"Meet him?" Jamie said, unsure of what McGonagall was asking.

"In a way, yes," McGonagall said, "His painting, like every other headmaster and headmistress that was once the head of Hogwarts, is in this room."

McGonagall looked away from Jamie and looked up at a painting. Jamie followed her gaze. Albus Dumbledore was asleep in his chair, the tip of his hat blowing in the breeze of his snores. McGonagall stood up and walked over to the painting.

"Albus? Albus?" McGonagall said, a little loudly.

"Uh… huh? Oh?" Dumbledore's painting said, groggily, "Minerva, how are you this fine evening?"

"I am fine, Albus," McGonagall said, "I have someone in my office here that wants to meet you."

McGonagall turned back to Jamie.

"Miss Potter?" McGonagall said, "Can you come here?"

"Potter?" Dumbledore said, a little sleepily, "Potter?"

"Yes Albus," McGonagall said to Dumbledore's painting, "This is Jamie. She is Harry Potter's daughter."

"Well… this is an honor," Dumbledore said, his attention turning to Jamie.

"Please, Professor Dumbledore," Jamie said, "The honor is all mine. I have heard so much about you."

"Oh, I am about to blush," said Dumbledore.

"Jamie is here because she wanted to use your old Pensieve," McGonagall said.

"Really?" Dumbledore said, "That… that's nice."

"Yes," said McGonagall, "She…"

Suddenly, the front door opened and Professor Lupin walked back into the room.

"Ah, Professor Lupin," McGonagall said, "I trust you have contacted our guest."

"Of course," Professor Lupin said, "He should be arriving into this office by Floo Powder any minute now."

Suddenly the fire turned green. Black soot surrounded the fireplace. A minute later a voice was heard.

"Oh… oh, I never liked Floo Powder," said a voice, coughing, "I don't know why."

The owner of the voice walked out of the soot. Jamie gasped in shock at the sight of the man. It was Harry Potter.

-----------------------------------------

**Yay... Cliffhanger! All right, I am sorry it took a little long to post... And I didn't exactly write everything I wanted in one chapter because that would make this chapter EVEN LONGER!**

I would love more feedback. I enjoy reading it...


	10. Secrets Revealed

Chapter 10  
Secrets Revealed

Jamie was about to faint. Her father, the one person who could totally ruin her relationship with Romeo Malfoy, was standing before her.

_Ruin your relationship? _the voice in Jamie's head said, _You are just worrying about that, you crazy girl! Jamie, your father is the one Professors McGonagall and Lupin invited to take a look at your dream! Your secret is seconds away from being discovered!_

"Well, Jamie," Harry said, "Aren't you going to hug me… or say anything?"

"Oh… yeah," Jamie said, walking over to her father. She hugged him and backed away slowly, "Uh, what are you doing here?"

"Jamie, this is my Pensieve," Harry said, "I told Professors McGonagall and Lupin to contact me if you, or James, ever wanted to use it." Harry turned to Professor McGonagall. "It is very nice to see you again, Professor, I know we haven't talked much. I have been very busy."

"I understand, Harry," McGonagall said, shaking Harry's hand, "Any sign of Draco Malfoy?"

"Not a spot, Professor," Harry said, "I have a right mind to talk to his son again. I am sure he would know something about his father."

Jamie gasped silently at this thought.

_Your father might have more then one thing to talk to Romeo about by the end of this night,_ the voice in Jamie's head said.

Ignoring this thought, Jamie walked back over to her seat and sat down.

"Now, Harry," Professor McGonagall, "Did Professor Lupin tell you why we are having this meeting today?"

"He only told me that Jamie wanted to use the Pensieve," Harry said, "Well, this is her first time using it, so I wanted to be here..."

"He didn't tell you why Jamie requested to use it?" McGonagall said.

"Well, Jamie is in her N.E.W.T year," Harry said, "I remember my N.E.W.T year, and I can't blame her. She probably has a lot going through her mind right now."

Jamie rolled her eyes at this. Only if her father knew how much was going on in her mind. Jamie then reminded herself that he was most likely about to know.

"Well, Jamie?" McGonagall said, "How about you tell your father why you wanted to use his Pensieve?"

There was no way to get out of this problem now. Jamie knew she had to tell the truth.

"I had a... uh, dream," Jamie said, looking at her father, "And it has been bugging me. I wanted to store it away in the Pensieve."

"A dream, huh?" Harry said, "Is that all this is about?"

"Well, Harry," Lupin said, "Jamie told me about a dream she had, and if this is the same dream, I think I would know why she wanted to... in her words... store it away."

"You want to tell me about this little dream, Jamie," Harry asked her.

"Well, uh..." Jamie said, buying time while she pondered her decision.

McGonagall, however, decided for her. "I was actually thinking that the Pensieve could tell us about this dream of hers," she said.

"What do you mean?" Jamie said, confused.

"The Pensieve, Miss Potter," McGonagall said, "Would tell us everything we need to know about this dream of yours."

"Wouldn't that be... intruding on Jamie's personal life?" Harry said,

"Well, Jamie is your daughter," said McGonagall.

"And she can make decisions on her own," Harry said.

"You didn't let me finish, Harry," McGonagall said, "I was saying that... Jamie is your daughter and your blood runs through her. So..."

"I know what you are saying, Professor," Jamie said, "Because I hear it all the time."

Jamie couldn't help but get a little mad at Professor McGonagall. Her father had a point. This was intrusion of privacy!

"You think that... just because my father... oh, and no offense, Dad," Jamie said, looking from Professor McGonagall, to her father, then back to McGonagall, "But just because my father had these... horrible dreams when he was my age... that it means that I am going to have these dreams too?"

"Blood is thicker than water, Miss Potter," McGonagall said.

Jamie's eyes narrowed toward the Headmistress. She couldn't believe it. McGonagall had never acted this way to her. Just because this discussion was about something that once belonged to her good friend, it didn't mean she had to intrude! Jamie didn't know whether to cry or stand up and throw something. Finally, she looked over at her father.

"Dad?" Jamie asked, "What do you think?"

"It's your dream," Harry said.

_Oh yeah! Great help you are!_ said the voice inside Jamie's head.

"But I really want to know why this dream is weighing so much on your mind, Jamie," Harry said.

Great! Now Jamie's father was against her. This wasn't working out right at all. Jamie sighed and looked down at her hands. She had clinched her hands into fists so they wouldn't pick anything up and throw it. Jamie sighed again and looked up.

_Here goes nothing_, Jamie said to herself.

"All right," Jamie said, "The reason I asked to use the Pensieve was so I could get a few things out of my head and concentrate on other things. This dream... is one of them. I came up here tonight so I could store the dream in the Pensieve... and that is what I am going to do."

"And do you know how to perform the task?" McGonagall said, "I mean... do you know what to do with a Pensieve."

"Yeah, I think I do," Jamie said, taking her wand from her pocket.

Jamie concentrated on the dream she had had a few nights before and put her wand to her head. She took the wand away from her head and a silver strand came from beneath her hair and connected to the wand. Jamie dropped the strand into the Pensieve and closed her eyes. She didn't want to know what was coming next.

"What's wrong?" a voice said from inside the Pensieve.

"Where is he?" another voice said, also in the Pensieve.

"Jamie?" Harry said.

Jamie opened her eyes and looked at the Pensieve. She could hear indistinct voices and knew they were coming from her dream, now trapped in the Pensieve. She then looked at her father.

"Those... voices," Harry said, "They were in your dream... right?"

"Yeah," Jamie said, in a hoarse voice, "Yeah, they were..."

"What are they talking about?" Harry said.

Jamie didn't speak. She knew the answer to this question. The voices in the dream were talking about Romeo Malfoy. But did she want her father to know that? Suddenly a vision came into her mind. Jamie had remembered the letter Romeo had written her. She remembered something that Romeo had said in the letter: _So what if we have to keep this thing secret. It is actually kind of silly in my opinion. Our fathers' hatred for one another doesn't mean it has to affect us. Remember that, Jamie. I know that that is what you are afraid of._

"Jamie?" Harry said again.

"RomeoMalfoy," Jamie said quickly.

"Excuse me?" Harry said, "I didn't hear you."

"They were talking about Romeo Malfoy!" Jamie said.

Here it comes, said the voice in Jamie's head.

"Romeo Malfoy?" Harry said, "Draco's boy?"

"Yes, Dad," Jamie said, "Draco's son. In my dream, he had gone missing and I found him in the Room of Requirement. He was..."

Jamie broke down into tears at this thought. She covered her face with her hands.

"He was what, Jamie?" Harry said.

"He was dead!" Jamie said, looking up, "He had killed himself."

"Jamie, it was just a dream," Harry said, reassuringly.

"Was it, Dad?" Jamie said, tears still falling down her cheeks, "Here I am, hearing all about your dreams that you once had and how most of them were real, and then I have a dream in which someone dies. You know how that feels?"

"Actually yes... I do," said Harry.

"Oh yeah, Dad," Jamie said, "Really reassuring!"

Jamie stood up and walked quickly toward the door. She walked out of the room, then over to the stairwell and sat down. She put her face in her hands and started to cry again. Suddenly, she heard the door open and close.

"Jamie, do you want to talk about this?" It was Professor Lupin's voice.

"Not really," said Jamie.

"Is this about Romeo Malfoy?" Lupin said.

Jamie nodded slightly.

"You love him, don't you?" Lupin said.

Jamie nodded again, still looking away from Professor Lupin.

"And how does he feel about this," Professor Lupin said.

"I don't know," Jamie said, "I mean... we went on a date last week. Just a little lunch thing. I had that dream I told you about and..."

"Romeo heard about it?" Lupin said.

"You are the only one I had told that dream about, Professor," Jamie said.

"I didn't tell it to anybody," Lupin said, "Not even to Professor McGonagall. How did Romeo find out?"

"He's a Legillimens," Jamie said.

"Really?" Professor Lupin said, "I didn't know that."

"He confronted me about the dream," Jamie said, "He saw how worried I was and read my mind. It wasn't the first time he did it, no. Well, that was how he found out about the dream. But he didn't know everything about it. He wondered why I was so worried about this dream, and I told him that he had died in it."

"And you think this dream foreshadows something from the future?" Lupin asked.

Jamie nodded. "Romeo thought I did too," she said, "He wrote to me and said that I was stupid to think like that. I just wanted to use the Pensieve to get rid of that dream."

"But you didn't want to get rid of all your memories of Romeo," Professor Lupin said, "Because you do love him."

"Yeah," Jamie said, "And I don't know how my father will take it."

"What do you mean?" Lupin said.

"Professor," said Jamie, "I have been raised listening to these stories about my father's history and how he has spent most of his career chasing after Draco Malfoy. Basically I have grown up with the fact that Potters and Malfoys aren't supposed to get along. And here I am... in love with one! I am in love with a Death Eater's son. How do you think my father will react to that?"

"Jamie," said Lupin, "You don't have to live in your father's footsteps. Your dad hates Draco Malfoy, not Romeo."

"I don't want to tell my father, Professor," Jamie said, "But it is hard to keep this secret. I have been keeping this secret from my friends as well. They can't stand Romeo... but they don't know what he is really like. I don't want to break up with Romeo... but my father wouldn't like that, I know it. He will think I am in sticking in with the wrong crowd."

"Romeo isn't 'the wrong crowd' Jamie," Lupin said.

"That is what I am saying," Jamie said.

"Look, this is what I think," Lupin said, "Harry may be one of my best friends, but I think it is a good idea to keep this secret from him. Until you are ready to tell him, I mean."

"Thanks, Professor," Jamie said.

"Come on, let's go back in the office," Lupin said.

Jamie smiled and nodded. She wiped the tears away from her cheeks and stood up. Jamie followed Lupin into the office, where McGonagall and Harry were talking.

"So you really think we should leave Draco's son out of this, Professor?" Harry said to McGonagall.

"Romeo has his N.E.W.Ts to already worry about, Harry," McGonagall said, "He has a lot on his mind already. And I can tell you that he is probably not going to follow in his father's footsteps, Harry. I think it is best to leave him alone."

"I think that is a good idea, too, Harry," Lupin said, "Romeo is very different from his father. It's best if you just... kept him out of it."

"Yeah, you are right?" said Harry, looking from Professor Lupin to Jamie, "Jamie... are you feeling better?"

"We had a little talk," said Professor Lupin, "I think she will be all right."

"Yeah, I am all right now," Jamie said, smiling.

"Do you want to use the Pensieve anymore, Miss Potter?" McGonagall asked.

"No, I don't think so," Jamie said.

"Then how about we leave it like this," said McGonagall.

"Yeah, I agree," Harry said, "It seems the dream has affected her enough already. We don't need to talk any more about it. But Jamie, I want you to know something."

"Yes, Dad?" Jamie said.

"Just because you are my daughter," Harry said, "It doesn't mean you are going to have to deal with the same things I dealt with. My dreams were affected by Voldemort himself. The dreams do not run through my blood... or yours. It was... a weapon Voldemort was using. It doesn't affect you at all. I promise you."

Jamie smiled at this. But inside, she knew her father was just trying to cheer her up.

"Thanks Dad," Jamie said.

"Come here," Harry said.

Jamie walked over to her father and hugged him.

"Well, I think this meeting is over, Miss Potter," said Jamie, "If you wish, you can go back to your Common Room."

"Thank you Professor," Jamie said.

Jamie said goodbye to her father and hugged him again. She then left the office and headed back to the Gryffindor Common Room. As she was walking, she smiled to herself. Her secret may have been out, but she had told it to one person. Jamie knew Professor Lupin was trusting. He wouldn't tell Harry about the dream. He promised Jamie this.

Suddenly Jamie heard a noise coming from somewhere ahead of her. It sounded like it was near the Room of Requirement... but what could it be. Jamie trusted her instincts and took her wand from her pocket.

"Lumos," Jamie whispered, lighting the tip of her wand.

Jamie crept slowly down the hall and looked around the corner. Richie and James were standing in the hall talking to each other.

"Richie, she is your sister and my cousin!" James said, "We can't ignore this."

"James? Richie?" Jamie spoke up, coming around the corner, "What are you doing?"

James and Richie jumped in surprise.

"Jamie, hi," said James, "Uh... what are you doing here?"

"I had a meeting with McGonagall," said Jamie, "I heard you talking about Jane... what is wrong with her?"

"Oh, nothing is wrong with her," said Richie.

"Come on, you can't fool me," said Jamie, "I heard you talking about her. I want to know what is wrong."

"Nothing is wrong with Jane," Richie said.

"Then... what is it?" Jamie said.

"If we show you, you have to promise not to tell Jane," said Richie.

"Fine, I won't," said Jamie, her curiosity getting the best of her.

"Follow us," said James.

Jamie followed James and Richie down the hall. James and Richie walked over to a statue of a goblin and hid behind it.

"What are we doing at the Room of Requirement," said Jamie. She then noticed that a door was standing where a wall should be. "Wait... why is there a door? Is someone in there?"

"Shh!" James said, "They are coming. Lose the light!"

"Nox," said Jamie.

The door of the Room of Requirement opened and all Jamie could see was light from the tip of a wand. Suddenly, she heard a voice.

"Oh, Joey," said a voice, "I can see why Weasel-Bee likes you. I had fun... we'll do it again sometime."

"Uh... yeah," said another voice. Jamie recognized it as Joseph.

"Wait," Jamie whispered to Richie and James, "That's Joseph! Then who is...?"

"Shh!" James said again, "Joey's coming... hide!"

Jamie hid farther behind the statue of the goblin. Jamie watched Joseph walk down the hall toward them. Jamie held her breath as he passed them and disappeared.

"Richie? James?" Jamie said as she came out of her hiding spot. James and Richie revealed themselves. "Wait... if that was Joseph... where is Jane?"

"Jamie," said Richie, "That wasn't my sister with Joseph."

"What... oh!" Jamie said, "Oh... I will kill him."

"You know who that was that was with him, don't you?" Richie asked.

"Who?" Jamie said.

"Jasmine..." James said.

"Jasmine? Nott?" Jamie said.

Richie and James nodded. "We were going back to the Gryffindor Common Room," said James, "And we were trying to avoid Joseph. We knew we might get in trouble. Well... we kind of ran into him but he didn't notice us. Let's just say... he was a bit busy."

"Joseph... is..." Jamie said, not wanting to believe what she had just witnessed.

"The Head Boy is smitten with someone else other than the Head Girl," said Richie.

"How could he do this?" Jamie said, "I am going to kill him."

"Jamie, you can't tell my sister," Richie said, "Do you know how she would take it?"

"It would break her heart, sis," James said.

Jamie didn't speak. She was still in shock from the scene she had just witnessed.

-----------------------------------------------------

**Okay... I know... this chapter was probably the opposite of what you expected. That last scene... I put it in there because I am running out of ideas and I need to put more into the story then just one relationship. It's getting a little rocky yes...**

I would love feedback... I know that you probably didn't expect half of this... I apologize!


	11. Promises and Practices

Chapter 11  
Promises and Practices

_"Oh, Joey, I can see why Weasel-Bee likes you. I had fun... we'll do it again sometime."_

Jamie opened her eyes and gasped silently. She looked around and remembered that she was in bed.

"It was a dream, Jamie," Jamie whispered to herself, "You are still in bed."

It had been a week since that fateful meeting with McGonagall and the night Jamie found out that she wasn't the only person keeping secrets. Ever since that night, Jamie had been pondering whether she should tell Jane what she had witnessed. Jamie looked over at Jane who was sleeping peacefully.

_Look at her, Jamie_, the voice in Jamie's head said, _She looks so peaceful like that. She has no worries on her mind about her relationship. I think we should keep it that way._

"I don't like keeping this from her," Jamie whispered to herself.

_This should be easy compared to the other secret you are keeping from her_, said the voice in Jamie's head.

That was true. Jamie tried to distract herself from these thoughts she was having, which was working nicely. Jamie already had a lot to think about. Today was the day she had requested the Pitch for Gryffindor. It was the first practice she would be able to have with the new Gryffindor Team. Jamie looked down at her nightstand and saw the old letter that Romeo had written after the big fight they had had. Jamie remembered the conversation she had with Romeo when she decided to talk to him again. Actually it had turned out that Romeo was the one who was wanting to do the talking...

_Flashback Begins:_

"So have you talked to McGonagall about you wanting to reserve the Pitch for Gryffindor?" Joseph asked, "I know you want our first practice to be this coming Saturday."

Jamie was sitting with Joseph, James and Richie at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall. Alice and Jane were finishing up their homework in the Common Room.

"Yeah... yeah I did," said Jamie, "Practice is this Saturday."

"Great!" Joseph said, "Thanks, Jamie. I am going to go see how Jane is doing... talk to you all later."

Joseph stood up and started to walk out of the Great Hall.

"Or rather how Miss Nott is, I bet," Richie whispered, so that only Jamie and James could hear it.

"Nah, I really think he is going to go see how Jane is doing," said Jamie.

"Do you not remember what we witnessed a couple of days ago, Jamie," Richie said.

"Yeah, I remember," said Jamie, "But Nott is sitting over at the Slytherin table."

James and Richie turned around and noticed Nott. Jamie looked over at the table and saw Romeo sitting there, chatting with his friends.

"I still can't believe Joseph would do something like that," said Richie.

Jamie didn't speak up. She had just noticed that Romeo had gotten up and was leaving the table.

"Yeah..." said Jamie, "Well, listen, I am going to go... I got homework to do too."

"All right," said James, "See ya, sis."

Jamie stood up and walked out of the Great Hall. Suddenly, she heard a voice.

"Potter! Hey, Jamie! Over here!"

Jamie looked toward the stairs, where the direction of the voice was. Romeo was standing near the stairs, looking at Jamie.

Jamie sighed and walked over to Romeo.

"What do you want?" Jamie asked him.

"Are you still mad at me?" said Romeo.

"I don't know," said Jamie, "No, I guess not."

"You did get my letter, didn't ya?" Romeo said.

"Yeah... yeah, I got it," said Jamie, "Listen, I do want to talk, but not out here."

"Let's go down to the dungeon," said Romeo.

Jamie nodded and walked with Romeo into the dungeons. Professor Slughorn's classroom was empty, so Jamie followed Romeo into it. After a minute of awkward silence and smirks, Jamie decided to speak. But Romeo decided to speak as well.

"Listen, Romeo..." Jamie began.

"Jamie, I..." Romeo said, "Oh, you can go first. I don't mind."

"No, I will let you talk," said Jamie.

"All right," said Romeo, "Jamie, listen. I am really sorry for all the stuff I been doing. I mean... you know, the Legillimency and invading your privacy and stuff like that."

"Oh, it is all right," said Jamie, "I over-reacted that day. I had a lot on my mind."

"Yeah... so, how did your meeting with McGonagall go," said Romeo.

"It was... good," said Jamie, "Professor Lupin was there as well and... my father showed up as well."

"What?" Romeo asked.

"It was his Pensieve I was wanting to use," said Jamie.

"Why were you wanting to use the Pensieve?" Romeo asked, "Oh... wait. Your dream. That dream you told me about."

"I wanted to store it in the Pensieve," said Jamie.

"Did you have to tell your father and them about us?" Romeo asked.

"Not exactly," said Jamie, "I told Professor Lupin."

"Professor Lupin knows!" Romeo said, "Why did you tell him?"

"He... sort of guessed, Romeo," Jamie said, "Why are you so worried?"

"He is going to tell your father, Jamie," said Romeo, "I already have enough problems without Aurors coming to call on me."

"What?" Jamie asked, "Oh... your father."

Romeo rolled his eyes and walked over to one of the tables and sat down.

"My father isn't going to ask you anything, Romeo," said Jamie, walking over to him and putting her arm around him.

Romeo scoffed and rested his head on the table. He didn't even look up at Jamie.

"Hey... I heard it with my own ears," said Jamie, "McGonagall told him not to interrogate you."

"I don't know anything about where my father is right now," said Romeo, "Like he would tell me anyway. My own father thinks I am some weak-minded fool. He doesn't want me to stay here."

"What?" said Jamie.

"He thinks I am risking his own safety," said Romeo, "He doesn't trust me. I know it. Hmmph... I don't really care, though. I rather have him rot in Azkaban then endanger my life."

"I can't disagree with you there," said Jamie.

Romeo looked up at Jamie.

"Jamie," Romeo said, before sighing deeply.

"What, Romeo?" said Jamie.

"Promise me something," said Romeo, "If I hear anything about my father... and I think he might do something stupid... I want you to run away. I want you to leave this place and go with your father."

"What?" said Jamie, a tear rolling down her cheek.

"Promise me, Jamie," said Romeo.

"I am not going to run away, Romeo!" said Jamie, "I am..."

"Please, Jamie," said Romeo.

Jamie didn't know what to say. Romeo leaned over to her and kissed her.

When he backed away, Romeo looked into Jamie's eyes. "Please?" he said.

"Fine..." Jamie said, "I promise."

Romeo smiled and kissed her again.

End of Flashback

Jamie still couldn't believe what Romeo had asked her. Was he really afraid of his father? Either way, it meant that Romeo really cared for her. But the thing that stuck to Jamie's mind was the lingering question: Did Romeo really know everything about his father? Did he know about Draco Malfoy's whereabouts? Or was this promise just a precaution?

Jamie decided that she had better get some more sleep. Sleep was something she really needed to catch up on, and she really needed her strength. The Quidditch season was about to begin.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

At ten-to-noon, Jamie and the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team were on the Pitch ready for practice. A few of the Gryffindors, including Richie, had come down to the pitch to watch their new team practice for the new season. Hagrid had also come down to the field to fulfill his "Head of Gryffindor" duties. Jamie looked around the stands for Jane and Alice, but couldn't find them.

"Jane couldn't come down, Jamie," said Richie, walking over to Jamie, "She said Alice wanted to finish an essay and needed her help."

"I was wondering where they were," said Jamie.

"All right!" said Joseph, mounting his broom, "We want this year to be the best for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Let's get into the air!"

"Joseph, I am the Captain unless you forgot!" said Jamie, "Go on and get into the air!"

"Well, you weren't doing it, Jamie," said Joseph. He rolled his eyes and flew into the sky.

"You know, cuz," said Richie, "Your little brother and I have been thinking about stuff... and we think Joseph needs to be taught a little lesson."

"What?" Jamie asked.

"Jamie," said Richie, "He cheated on my sister! If you aren't going to do anything, I am!"

"All right, I will talk to him after practice," said Jamie.

"Oh, yeah, good idea," Richie said sarcastically, "Jamie, talking isn't going to get through that head of his. At least... not yet."

"What are you talking about?" said Jamie.

"I was... er, thinking about telling Dawes to only aim his Bludger at Joseph," said Richie.

"Richie..." said Jamie.

"Jamie, I am not going to just ignore this," said Richie.

"Richie, get in the air," said Jamie, "I said I will deal with it. And if I see Dawes hit one too many Bludgers toward Joseph, you are going to get it! Now get into the air."

"Fine... fine," said Richie, mounting his broom.

Jamie shook herself mentally and flew into the sky.

"Hey, Potty!" a voice said, "Be sure not to fall off that broom again, eh!"

Jamie looked toward the direction of the voice. Jasmine Nott was sitting in the stands. Jamie was about to say something, but Richie beat her.

"Yo, Joey!" Richie said, "What is Nott doing here?"

"Why are you asking me?" Joseph asked.

As Joseph flew off, Jamie saw him smirk. She then turned her attention to Richie, who gave her a "You know what to do" glance.

Jamie shook herself mentally again but looked over at Dawes.

"Hey, Dawes, come over here!" Jamie said.

Dawes flew over to Jamie and stopped right by her. "What'cha want, Captain?" he said.

"Dawes," said Jamie, "Joseph is getting on my nerves a bit. Hit a Bludger toward him in a little bit. Maybe it will clear his head."

"Yes, Mam!" Dawes said, before flying off.

"All right," Jamie said to her team, "I want to start this year off right. Beaters, I don't want you to really hurt anyone, so try and keep those things away from everyone. Chasers, Richie still needs some more practice to perfect himself, so I want to see that Quaffle aimed toward the rings! I am just going to watch you guys and try to find the Snitch as well. Do you all understand!"

Everyone nodded.

"Hey Hagrid," Jamie said, looking at the Head of Gryffindor, "Release the balls!"

"You got it, Jamie," said Hagrid. Hagrid released the Bludgers and the Snitch. He threw the Quaffle at Joseph who caught it.

"All right, Chasers!" Joseph said, "Try to keep up... I don't want to have to wait to pass to you. You guys understand?"

Wood, Jr. and Frye nodded.

"All right, let's do it!" said Joseph.

Jamie watched as Joseph took the Quidditch and headed for the rings. She then turned to Dawes who was dealing with a Bludger that was headed to him. Jamie blew her whistle at Dawes. Dawes nodded and headed toward the Bludger. He reached it and smacked it straight toward Joseph. The Bludger missed Joseph's head by inches, but it had done it's job. Joseph got distracted and dropped the Quaffle. Wood, Jr. caught it and headed for the rings. He threw it toward the middle goal, but Richie caught it. James and the other Gryffindors cheered.

Jamie was going to cheer along with them, but she spotted Joseph. He had changed his direction from the Quaffle and began to chase Dawes.

"Joseph Lupin!" Jamie bellowed, "Stop that and get up here!"

Joseph came to a halt and changed his direction again. He flew up to Jamie.

"Joey, what were you doing?" Jamie asked him, "Dawes was doing his job."

"He nearly took my head off, Jamie," said Joseph.

"Rough game, Quidditch... eh?" said another voice. Richie had flown up to them.

"Richard, get back down to the goals," Jamie said, "I will deal with this."

Richard was about to speak, but Jamie narrowed her eyes at him. He backed off and flew back to the goal.

"Jamie, you need to get control of your players," Joseph said.

"Don't talk to me about control, Joseph," Jamie said.

"What?" Joseph said.

"It was I who told Dawes to send that Bludger your way!" Jamie said, her nerves getting to her.

"Why?" said Joseph.

"You deserved it," said Jamie.

"I... what?" said Joseph.

"Last Saturday, Room of Requirement," said Jamie, "Oh... I say that it was near eight-o-clock. But I don't think that mattered. You were probably losing track of the time anyway."

Joseph narrowed his eyes.

"What are you talking about?" he said.

"I know, Lupin!" said Jamie, "I know about your little date with Jasmine Nott!"

Joseph didn't speak.

"Joey, Jane is my cousin," said Jamie, "How could you do this to her?"

"I wasn't with Jasmine Nott!" said Joseph, "I was... oh, no. I... I thought that was a dream!"

"Joseph..." said Jamie, her anger nearing it's peak.

"Jamie, I was under the Imperius Curse!" said Joseph.

"I don't... wait... what?" Jamie said.

"I thought that incident in the Room of Requirement was a dream," said Joseph.

"You were under the Imperius Curse?" Jamie asked.

"That's the only explanation," said Joseph, "Jamie... I love Jane. I wouldn't cheat on her."

"Heh... oh, this explains a lot," said Jamie, "Uh... Joseph, you know what you have to do then... right?"

"I am not telling Jane about this!" said Joseph, "I couldn't control what I did... Jane wouldn't understand that!"

"I don't mean that you need to talk to Jane," said Jamie, "Joey... you need to talk to your father. Right now, I mean... go take a shower and do it... now!"

"Fine... fine..." said Joseph. Joseph flew down to the ground and walked toward the locker room.

"All right," Jamie said to the rest of the team, "Joseph has something he needs to do! We are going to continue practice without him!"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After practice, Jamie took a shower and got dressed. When she left the locker room, Richie and James were waiting for her.

"All right, Jamie!" said Richie, "I knew you could do it. That little git. He was too scared to show his face."

"Richie, it is nothing like that," said Jamie.

"Excuse me," said Richie, "I saw him get off the field... I figured you gave him a good talking to."

"He left the field to go talk to his father," said Jamie, "He... was a victim of the Imperius Curse."

Richie's and James' jaws dropped.

"Yeah, you heard me," said Jamie.

"Joseph Lupin," Richie said, "Under the Imperius Curse?"

"I didn't believe it at first," said Jamie, "But it came to me while I was taking a shower. Jasmine Nott was using Joseph. She was trying to break him up with Jane, so that she could have another boyfriend..."

"Joseph," said James.

"Why didn't I think of that," said Richie, "Jasmine Nott likes the popular people. She couldn't have Romeo, so she picked Joseph. That little..."

"Yeah, well, let's go back to the Hogwarts," said Jamie, "I want to know how Joseph is feeling. I hope that Imperius Curse doesn't have lasting effects."

Jamie, Richie and James walked out up to Hogwarts and out of the hot sunlight.

----------------------------------------------------

**Oh, questions answered... wow, that was a fun chapter to write...**

Hope you like the chapter... feedback... please?


	12. Crime and Punishment

Chapter 12  
Crime and Punishment

Jamie walked into the Gryffindor Common Room with Richie and James, and found Jane and Alice still working on their homework. Jane looked up from her homework and noticed Jamie had returned.

"How did practice go?" she asked Jamie.

"It went... well," said Jamie.

"Hey... where is Joseph," Jane asked, "Wasn't he with you?"

"He hasn't come back?" Jamie asked.

"No," Jane said, "Why... what is wrong?"

"He had to talk to his father," Jamie said, "So I sent him off early."

"Something wrong with him?" Jane asked.

"Well..." Jamie began.

Jamie was trying to think about how she should answer Jane, but a noise behind her interrupted her thoughts.

"Joseph!" Jane said, standing up from her chair.

Jamie turned around and saw Joseph standing behind her.

"Oh, practice over already?" Joseph said, looking at Jamie.

"Yeah... yeah, it is," Jamie said.

"Jamie said you left practice early, Joey," Jane said, walking over to Joseph, "Is something wrong?"

"No, everything is all right," said Joseph, "Listen, Jane, can I talk to you? Um... in private?"

"Oh... sure, Joseph," Jane said.

Jane followed Joseph up the stairs toward the boy's dormitory.

Jamie looked at Richie and James. James had a worried look on his face. Richie, though, looked like he had just thought of something.

"Hey, can I speak to you two?" Richie said to Jamie and James.

"About?" Jamie said.

"A hunch," Richie said, "Follow me..."

Richie headed back to the portrait hole and Jamie, as well as James, followed him.

"Oh, and I suppose you woke me up just to annoy me, didn't you?" the Fat Lady said as she closed the hole with her portrait, "You kids need to learn to stay in one place!"

Jamie ignored her and followed Richie, who was walking pretty fast.

"Richie?" Jamie said, "I thought you wanted to talk to us! Where are you going?"

"Just follow me!" Richie said, about ten steps ahead of them, "I know what I am doing! And hurry up!"

Jamie and James followed Richie down the hall. They turned a corner and were about to reach the stairwell when they heard a voice.

"Whoa!" the voice said, "Where do three Gryffindors like yourselves think you are going?"

Jamie looked down the hall and saw Professor Lupin heading in her direction.

"Professor Lupin!" Richie said, "I was just going downstairs to look for you."

"I was talking to Professor McGonagall," said Lupin, "Do you need something?"

"Talking to Professor McGonagall?" Richie said, "So he did tell you..."

"Who told me what?" Lupin said.

Jamie, Richie, and James took turns staring at each other.

"Didn't... didn't Joseph talk to you?" Jamie asked, "I told him to talk to you."

"No, I haven't talked to Joseph all day," Lupin said, "Is something wrong?"

Jamie heard Richie mutter "that little git..." and turned back to Professor Lupin.

"Professor," said Jamie, "Joseph said that he might have been a victim of the Imperius Curse and he didn't know it."

"Imperius Curse?" said Lupin, "When... how?"

"Joseph didn't tell you anything," James said.

"No... he didn't," Lupin said, "Are you sure he told you that he was under the Imperius Curse?"

"Yeah," said Jamie, "Well... remember the night of the meeting we had in McGonagall's office?"

"Of course?" Lupin said, "But what does that have to do with Joey?"

"I was walking back to the Gryffindor Common Room," Jamie said, "And I saw Richie and James talking. Well... they told me to follow them. We walked over to the Room of Requirement and we witnessed Joseph with Jasmine Nott."

"What?" Lupin said, before he changed his expression from confused to a sign of understanding, "Oh... you mean..."

"Yeah," said Jamie, "Well, I confronted him about it... and he told me that he had been under the Imperius Curse and didn't remember anything about it..."

"I think I need to talk to him," Lupin said, "Where is he?"

"Last time we saw him," Jamie said, "He went up to the boy's dormitory with Jane to talk to her."

"Well, let's go back to the Common Room," said Lupin, "I want to talk to him."

Lupin led the way and Jamie, Richie, and James followed him.

"And I suppose you want back in!" the Fat Lady said, groggily, "Oh... hello Professor Lupin."

"Thestral," Jamie said.

"Whatever," The fat lady said, and opened the portrait hole.

When Professor Lupin, Jamie, Richie and James walked in, they spotted Joseph walking back down the stairs. He spotted his father and walked past him toward the portrait hole.

"Joseph," said Lupin, "I want to talk to you..."

Joseph continued to walk toward the portrait hole.

"Joseph Lupin!" Lupin said, "Get over here or you get a detention!"

Joseph stopped in his tracks and turned around.

"Now...," Professor Lupin said, "What is this about you and the Imperius Curse."

Joseph looked past his father to Jamie and narrowed his eyes.

"Joseph?" Lupin said.

"I wasn't under no bloody Imperius Curse!" Joseph said, "I lied to Jamie! Just... leave me alone!"

Joseph turned around and walked to the portrait hole, pushed the painting open and disappeared. Jamie looked at Richie and James, both of whom who had angry looks on their faces. Jamie then looked at Professor Lupin.

"I... I am going to go talk to him," Professor Lupin said, "You guys just stay here."

Jamie and the others nodded.

Professor Lupin left the common room.

"I do not believe this!" Richie said, "This is unreal!"

"Can you tell me what is going on?" Alice said.

Jamie was about to answer Alice, but the sound of crying stopped her. Jane appeared at the stair well. She saw everyone staring at her and ran up the other stair well to the Girl's Dormitory.

"I'd better go talk to her," Jamie said.

And without a word, Jamie walked up to to her dormitory. When she opened the door, she heard Jane crying.

"Jane?" Jamie asked, looking at the the curtains around Jane's bed.

"Leave me alone!" Jane said through tears, "Please..."

"I want to talk... please?" Jamie asked, walking into the room.

"I don't feel like talking," Jane said.

"Is it... Joseph?" Jamie asked before she could stop herself.

"Don't you even mention that creep's name!" Jane yelled.

"Jane, please talk to me," Jamie said, "You know you can always talk to me."

"I-I thought he loved me, Jamie," Jane said, opening the curtains, "Then he wants to talk to me and tells me he wants to break up with me!"

"Did... did he tell you why he wanted to break up with you?" Jamie said, walking over to her own bed and sitting down.

"No," said Jane, "But I could tell that he was seeing someone else."

Jamie looked away from Jane.

"He is, isn't he?" Jane asked, "I knew it. All those times that he was volunteering to do his shift early."

"I can't believe him," Jamie said.

"You can't believe him?" Jane asked, "Jamie, he was my boyfriend!"

"You don't understand, Jane," said Jamie, "He lied to me."

"What?" Jane said, "What did he tell you?"

Jamie sighed but decided this was for the best. She told Jane about the night she found Joseph near the Room of Requirement.

"He is seeing Jasmine Nott!" Jane said, nearly on the verge of tears again, "He chose her over me?"

"That's not all," Jamie said, "I confronted him to see what was going on and all he did was lie to me."

"What did he say?" Jane asked.

"He said he was under the Imperius Curse," Jamie said, "I told him to go talk to his father... and it turned out he didn't go talk to him. Before I came up here, Professor Lupin confronted him... and Joseph said that he had lied to me..."

"I can't believe he would do something like this," Jane said, "And with that... scarlet woman!"

"I couldn't believe it either..." Jamie said, "I mean... how long have we know him?"

"Since we were little kids," said Jane, smiling a bit, "I always thought he was a brat... but that was before I knew any better. Now I know he is a git!"

"Well, I am going to go back down to the Common Room," Jamie said.

Jamie stood up and walked to the door.

"Hey Jamie?" Jane said.

"Yeah," Jamie asked.

"Thanks for coming up here..." Jane said.

"What are cousins for?" Jamie said, smiling.

Jane smiled and Jamie walked out of the room.

---------------------------------------------------

**Sorry if the chapter is a little shorter than you expected. I know some of you might not like the outcome, or the fact that I broke up the Head Couple... I made some hard choices with this chapter...**

Would love feedback! Next Chapter is the Hogsmeade Chapter... and this is the one I have been waiting so long to write... it should be good!


	13. What Happens in Hogsmeade

Chapter 13  
What Happens In Hogsmeade...

Ever since Joseph had broken up with Jane, he had been completely ignoring all of his friends. He was rarely seen in the Common Room, and he would never be in the Great Hall when Jamie or her friends ate dinner. A couple of days after Joseph had broken up with Jane, Jamie had spotted Richie and James talking secretly in one of the corners of the Gryffindor Common Room. She had distinctly heard Richie say "We need to show that git!", but decided to ignore it. Jamie, herself, was having a hard time deciding the fate of Joseph. She had been deciding whether she should kick Joseph off the Qudditch team, but she didn't want to go through the trouble of looking for another Chaser. The first game was coming up and she really needed Joseph on the team. Jamie had noticed that Jane was taking this break-up really well. She hadn't mentioned Joseph one bit since her conversation with Jamie, though Jamie did think she had spotted tear stains in Jane's "Defending Yourself Against What Is To Come" that Tuesday night. Jamie couldn't blame Jane... Joseph had walked into Defense Against the Dark Arts earlier that day hand-in-hand with Jasmine Nott.

Jamie's love-life, however, had been going well. It was true, Professor Lupin was still the only one who knew that Jamie was dating Romeo Malfoy, and Jamie decided that this was the best decision. That Thursday, Romeo had decided to pull Jamie into an empty room again...

_"Will you warn me the next time you do this, Malfoy!" Jamie asked, playfully smacking Romeo on the shoulder._

_"Easy Potter," said Romeo, "You used to do it to me... now it is my turn."_

_"Hmm, good point," said Jamie, "So why did you drag me into here anyway... and why did you choose this place? It's the boy's lavatory!"_

_"Hey, I had other things on my mind!" Romeo said, "It was... a bit of quick thinking."_

_"Other things on your mind?" Jamie asked, smirking, "Like what?"_

_"Well, this weekend is Hogsmeade weekend," Romeo said, "And..."_

_"Aww, Malfoy?" Jamie said, smiling, "Asking me on another date?"_

_"Would you let me do it?" Romeo said._

_"Fine," Jamie said, smirking._

_"Do you want to join me in Hogsmeade on Saturday?" Romeo said._

_"Aww, Romeo, I thought you would never ask," joked Jamie, "Yes, of course I will."_

_"Good," Romeo said, "You know... we might actually have a real date this time. At least the Head Couple won't show up and interrupt us!"_

_"Romeo..." Jamie said, "That is not nice..."_

_"So..." Romeo said._

_"So..." Jamie said, "That is my cousin you are talking about. You know... she is having a really hard time about what happened."_

_"I wouldn't worry about it so much, Potter," Romeo said._

_Jamie said nothing, but just stared at Romeo._

_"Jasmine is probably going to dump Lupin anyway," Romeo said, "I can guarantee you that she is just using him."_

_"Like she used you?" Jamie said._

_"Hey, she broke up with me because she heard me talking about you!" Romeo said._

_Jamie blushed and pecked Romeo on the lips._

_"Well, I better get out of here before someone finds us," Jamie said, "Especially me. Dragging me into a boy's lavatory... really!"_

_"At least it is not in some empty closet," Romeo said, as Jamie turned to leave._

_"Hey, we would have had more privacy," said Jamie, "But I guess you just don't trust me in the dark with you..."_

_Jamie stuck out her tongue and left the bathroom._

-------------------------------------------

It was finally Saturday and the day that Jamie would go on her date with Romeo. Ever since that conversation in the boy's bathroom, Jamie had been doing a bit of thinking. Yes, a date with Romeo Malfoy out in the open streets and pubs of Hogsmeade was risky. But Jamie had compromised by reminding herself that it was her first date with Romeo in nearly a month, and she didn't care about privacy. Besides... she had been thinking of places she could take Romeo and have some alone time. And alone time was definitely what she was needing.

There was just one flaw in her perfect plan... Jane. Jane had recently got over the fact that she was a single witch again and had decided that the cure to her problems were to spend time with her friends... especially Jamie. Jane had been talking about the visit to Hogsmeade and surprised Jamie with the fact that she had been planning the whole day to be spent with Jamie! Jamie had to try very hard to keep her jaw from dropping to the floor. This was the one thing that could totally ruin her date with Romeo.

Jamie had spent an hour awake in bed the previous night (Friday) thinking about the situation she would be having in Hogsmeade. She had already promised that she would spend the day with Romeo, and she was not going to back away from that. But then it came to her... her favorite Uncles in the world, Fred and George, had written to Jamie, Jane, Richie and James and said that they would be controlling the "Weasley's Wizard Wheezes" in Hogsmeade that weekend. That was the answer. She would take Jane to the shop and lose her in the crowd, then run off and find Romeo.

So on Saturday, when she had woken up, Jamie dressed quickly, took a quill and some parchment from her trunk, and crept out of the dormitory. Jamie knew she had to write a letter to Romeo and tell him her plan. So she walked up to the Owlery and began to write a letter:

_Dear Romeo:_

_Oh, you won't believe this! Jane has decided to get over her little break-up with Joseph and spend some quality time with her friends... you know, like me! She had been planning to spend some time with me in Hogsmeade. Well, I couldn't say no, but don't worry, I had another plan. My Uncles, Fred and George, are going to be at their shop today and I think I can ditch Jane there. She loves their shop, so I think it will be easy. So, anyway, I will ditch her and try and find you. We are going to go to Hogsmeade at ten-o-clock, so I say by ten-thirty, let's meet near the Shrieking Shack. I know what you are thinking, and no, it isn't a romantic place... but it's private and I don't want today to be the day Jane finds out about our relationship! So, see you then!_

_Love,_

_Jamie_

Jamie read the letter over and decided it was fine. She called her owl, Ares, down, and attached the letter to his leg. Ares flew off out the window and Jamie walked back to the Gryffindor Common Room.

-----------------------------------

At ten-o-clock, Jamie and Jane were in one of the carriages heading for Hogsmeade. Jamie had decided that she had better put her plan into effect right away if she wanted to go meet Romeo at ten-thirty. She had snuck her invisibility cloak into her pocket, knowing that she would need it.

"Hey, Jane," Jamie said, "I figured we would go down to Fred and George's shop first. I have been looking forward to it since we got their letter."

"Yeah, I am fine with that," Jane said.

Jamie smiled inside. "Phase one" of her plan was starting off nicely.

Ten minutes later, the carriages arrived at Hogsmeade, and Jamie and Jane headed for Fred and George's shop. The shop was already nearly filled with students, and Jamie smiled at this. Her plan was going to work.

"Ahh, our two favorite customers," a voice said over the crowd, "Come here!"

Fred and George was standing at the back of the shop, and Jamie and Jane headed over to them.

"Well, don't we get a hug?" Fred said.

"Oh, but Fred," said George, smirking, "I am sure they wouldn't get caught hugging us. Especially in front of their peers!"

Jamie and Jane, however, hugged their Uncles, though rather quickly.

"So... any new products?" Jane asked.

"Yes, and they are perfect for a brainiac like you!" Fred said, "We have new Diaries out. And I am sure you would love one. I know you have secrets you would love to keep from little Richie... right?"

"Oh... yeah," said Jane.

"Then follow me," said George, "I will show them to you."

Jane followed George toward the other side of the room.

"And Jamie?" said Fred, "Is there anything you would like?"

"Actually, I have a favor I need to ask you," said Jamie.

"A favor, eh?" said Fred, "All right, spill it."

"Well, I promised someone I would meet them and I need to get away from Jane," said Jamie.

"Oh... meeting someone... really?" Fred said, "Like... a date?"

"Exactly," Jamie said, "And I don't want Jane to know."

"Keeping secrets, are we?" Fred said, smirking.

"Look, just don't tell Jane..." Jamie said.

"She won't know you were gone," said Fred.

"And how, may I ask, are you going to accomplish that?" asked Jamie.

"With this," said Fred, pulling out a small necklace from his pocket, "It is a Polyjuice Pendant. This is the only one we have right now, because it is a prototype."

"What does it do?" Jamie asked.

"Well... follow me," said Fred, "I don't want anyone to see what happens."

Jamie shrugged and followed her uncle up the stairs.

"All right," said Fred, "Now... I will warn you, this may come as a shock."

"With you, it doesn't surprise me," Jamie said, smirking.

"This will..." said Fred, putting on the necklace. He stared into Jamie's eyes and Jamie wondered what he was doing. Suddenly, Fred dissapeared in a puff of smoke.

"Uncle Fred!" said Jamie, surprised, searching through the smoke.

"I am right here..." said a voice.

"Fred?" Jamie asked, "That isn't your voice."

"Well, I am not exactly me, Jamie," Fred said, revealing himself.

Jamie gasped. She was looking at a mirror reflection of herself.

Fred?" Jamie asked, "Is that you?"

"It's me, don't worry," Fred said, "I just... changed into you. I have your voice too."

"This is so weird," said Jamie, still looking at her reflection, which was actually her Uncle, "How long does that thing last?"

"Five hours," Fred said, "Oh, man... I just thought of something... I should have told George!"

"Oops..." Jamie said, smirking, "Listen, I will go tell him before I leave..."

"Tell me what?" a voice said, "Oh... whoa!"

George had come into the room and had just realized he was looking at two Jamies.

"All right, which one of you is my brother?" George said.

"Right here, George," Fred said, rasing his hand.

"Wow... that Pendant works really well," George said.

"Uncle George," Jamie said, "I have a date I am going on, and I don't want Jane to know about it... so Fred decided to help me out."

"Nice... really nice," George said.

"You will be fine by yourself in the shop," Fred asked George.

"Yeah, I will be fine," said George, "Besides, you can come back with a full report on that Pendant."

"Well, I have to get going or I am going to be late," Jamie said, "Fred, please don't make me look silly... I mean it!"

"You know me, Jamie," Fred said.

"That is what I mean!" Jamie said.

"Don't worry, Jamie," said Fred, "I won't do a thing."

"You better not," Jamie said smirking, "Or else my mother will deal with you..."

"No, you wouldn't tell her!" Fred said.

Jamie shrugged and walked down the stairs. She covered herself with her invisibility cloak and left the shop. She hurried through the crowd and walked down toward the Shrieking Shack. She spotted Romeo waiting for her and decided to have a little fun with him. Jamie walked slowly toward Romeo and went behind him.

"Boo!" she yelled.

Romeo hopped up and whipped out his wand.

"W-who's there?" he said, pointing his wand in the opposite direction of Jamie.

"Your girlfriend!" Jamie said, revealing herself.

"Jamie... you little prat!" Romeo said, "You scared me."

"Hey, it was fun," Jamie said, smiling, "So... you did get my letter?"

"Yeah," said Romeo, "I guess your plan worked."

"I had help," said Jamie, "So, where do you want to go?"

"I was thinking of going to the Hog's Head," said Romeo.

"Seems private enough," said Jamie, "Maybe we will get lucky and we'll be the only ones there."

Jamie shrugged and walked with Romeo, hand-in-hand, to the Hog's Head. They ordered a couple of butterbeers and sat down at a table.

"So this is rather nice," Romeo said.

"Yeah, much better than a boy's bathroom!" Jamie said, smirking.

"I said I was sorry dragging you in there, Jamie," Romeo said.

"I was kidding," said Jamie, "Yes, this is rather nice."

Suddenly, Jamie heard a voice, which sounded very familliar.

"Jane, why do you want to come here?" a voice said, "It is rather dull."

"I like this place," Jane said.

"Oh Merlin... Romeo, hide!" said Jamie, diving underneath the table.

"Why?" Romeo said.

"Come on!" Jamie said, dragging Romeo under the table.

"This is rather... nice," Romeo said, smirking.

"Shh!" Jamie said, looking at the door.

Romeo looked at the door as well and got a shock. Jane was walking into the room... with Jamie!

Romeo turned to Jamie.

"Jamie, what is going on?" Romeo said, "If you are here... who is that?"

"My Uncle Fred," Jamie said.

When Romeo said nothing, Jamie explained about the Polyjuice Pendant.

"Great," Romeo said, "First it was the Head Couple. Now it is Jane and a look-a-like of you!"

"I am so sorry," Jamie said.

"What are we going to do?" Romeo said.

Jamie said nothing but took out the invisibility cloak from her pocket. She covered herself and Romeo, and both of them edged out from under the table and hurried out of the pub.

"The invisibility cloak saves the day again!" Romeo said, as he and Jamie had returned at the spot by the Shrieking Shack.

"I said I was sorry," Jamie said.

"It's okay," said Romeo, "I just wanted to have a real date sometime."

"This is a real date, Romeo," Jamie said, "I am with you... I am happy."

Jamie leaned in and kissed Romeo.

For the next few hours, Jamie and Romeo decided to stay in their "hiding spot" and just spend time with each other. They hadn't been able to do that much, so it felt really good.

When it was time to go, Jamie made her way back to her uncles' shop. Fred and spotted her and, in his disguise, disappeared. Jamie walked into the shop and over to Jane.

"Hey that was quick!" Jane said.

"I had to buy something," Jamie said, smirking, "That is why we came back here. Well, we better get going. The carriages will leave soon."

Jamie and Jane walked to the carriages. When Jamie entered the carriage, she smiled at herself. It had been a really fun day. And with the help of her Uncles, she was able to spend most of it with Romeo.

**Oh wow, that was a fun chapter to write... I really hoped you liked it...**

Feedback appreciated as always!


	14. Quidditch: Teamwork? What's That?

Chapter 14  
Quidditch (Teamwork? What's that?)

The day after the Hogsmeade Trip, McGonagall had announced that the first Quidditch match of the year would happen the next Saturday, and it would be Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw. Jamie was a bit surprised at this, and had told the team they were going to need one more practice if they were wanting to win the game. The team agreed, and Jamie got permission from McGonagall to use the field on that Friday.

Nerves had come into play that week and Jamie had to muster up all the encouragement she could get to put her team back together. It didn't work very well. On Wednesday, Madam Pomfrey had tracked Jamie down in the halls and told her that Wood, Jr was feeling very sick. But after seeing the look on Jamie's face, Madam Pomfrey assured her that he would be ready to play on Saturday, with the help of some Pepper Up Potion of course. Wood, Jr wasn't the only player on the team who was having a bad week. On Thursday, Richie had told Jamie that he had a bad dream about the match on Saturday and said that it really affected him. But after Jamie said that she could just get McClaggen to play as Keeper, Richie said that he was feeling a whole lot better.

Then there was Joseph. This was the one player on the team whom hadn't talked much about the match on Saturday. And when Jamie asked him whether he would be able to make it to practice on Friday, all he did was shrug.

"That little git better not be the reason we lose that game on Saturday," Richie said, after Jamie had told him about Joseph, "I may not like him anymore, but he is the best Chaser on the team. He is not someone I really want to lose, you know."

"I agree with you, Richie," Jamie said, "But I may not have another choice..."

"Well, let's not hope that that time comes, Jamie," Richie said.  
-----------------------------------------

It was late on Friday, and Jamie had gone down to the Pitch with Richie and found the team sitting in the locker room... well, most of the team.

"Joseph isn't with you two?" Dawes said, standing up, "Aww, man!"

"He isn't down here?" Jamie asked.

"No, he hasn't showed up," Dawes said.

"Well... we are just going to practice without him, you hear?" Jamie said, "We have a match against Ravenclaw to focus on, and nothing is going to stop us from practicing. Professor McGonagall won't let us practice for long, so we have to get to it! Understand?"

Everyone nodded. Jamie and the other players walked out onto the Pitch. Hagrid was standing on the sideline. Joseph was standing beside him, looking a bit grumpy.

"Hey, you lot!" Hagrid said, "Guess who I found?"

"Didn't think you would be here, Joseph," Jamie said.

"Yeah... yeah, I guess I am here," Joseph said.

"All right, everyone," Jamie said, "Get into the air!"

As the rest of the players mounted their brooms and took off into the air, Jamie walked over to Hagrid.

"Hagrid, can you do me a small favor?" she asked him.

"Anyfing for me favorite Quidditch player," Hagrid said.

"Can you make sure no one comes to watch us practice?" Jamie said, "Including Gryffindors, as well. I want this practice to be secret."

"O' course, Jamie," Hagrid said.

"Thanks, Hagrid," Jamie said.

Jamie mounted her broom and flew into the air.

"I will release the balls fo' ya!" Hagrid said from the ground. He walked over to the trunk and opened it. One by one, the Bludgers and the Snitch flew into the air. Hagrid then released the Quaffle and threw it up towards Wood, Jr. But Joseph sped through the air and caught it before Wood, Jr could get it.

"Hey!" Jamie heard Wood, Jr say.

"You need to learn how to catch the Quaffle faster, Junior!" Joseph said, flying off toward the goal.

Jamie watched as Dawes hit a Bludger toward Joseph, but Joseph dodged it and kept flying toward the goal. He faked a throw to the middle goal, and threw the Quaffle to the left goal. It sailed through the hoop. Richie flew to the Quaffle and caught it. He threw it toward Frye, who grabbed it and flew back toward the goal.

"Frye, work on your passing back and forth with Wood, Jr," Jamie said, "He needs to practice."

Frye gave a thumbs up and motioned for Wood, Jr. to follow him.

"Jamie watch out!" Creevey, one of the Beaters said, "I'll get it!"

"Huh?" Jamie said, looking around. She then noticed a Bludger heading right toward her. Jamie ducked and flew higher into the air. Creevey chased the Bludger and hit it away.

"Thanks, Creevey!" Jamie said, "I appreciate it!"

"Any time, Captain!" Creevey said, "Huh? Wait! Jamie, watch out!"

Jamie turned around and saw the Bludger coming for her again.

"It's got a mind of it's own!" Creevey said, "Fly, Jamie!"

"Jamie, over this way!" Dawes said, noticing the bludger as well, "I will help you!"

Jamie couldn't see Dawes, but flew in the direction of his voice. She then spotted him and flew over his head.

"Hit it, Dawes!" Creevey said, "I don't want to know what will happen if we don't get it away from Jamie!"

Dawes smacked the Bludger hard and it flew off in the opposite direction.

"Don't worry, Jamie," Hagrid said from the ground, "I will get it!"

A couple of seconds later, the bludger turned around and headed back for Jamie. Next thing, Jamie knew, the Bludger exploded into many pieces. Jamie looked down at Hagrid who had his umbrella out and pointed to the sky.

"Whew," Jamie said, "Thanks, Hagrid!"

"Ruddy Bludger!" Hagrid roared, "That thing went rogue! All right, everyone, I am calling this practice over. There is something definitely wrong here!"

After a couple of complaints, everyone landed on the ground safely.

"This is an outrage!" Hagrid said, "I haven't seen a Rogue Bludger fer... fer over twenty years!"

"Only a spell could make a Bludger rogue," said Creevey, "I never thought I would see one go rogue in my lifetime. The rules have been upgraded so it wouldn't happen. Who would do a thing like that?"

"I think I know," Richie said, his eyes focused on Joseph.

"Now, now," said Hagrid, "No one's putting no blame on anyone. We are all going ter go inside... I will have a little chat wif McGonagall."

"We will still be able to play on Saturday, right?" Wood, Jr, said.

"Don't worry, Oliver," Hagrid said, "I am sure Quiddtich will still be on... holy Merlin. Jamie, you are lucky ter have superb Beaters. You could have bin hurt!"

"Yeah," said Jamie, "Thanks Dawes... Creevey."

"What are team-mates for?" Dawes asked.

Jamie smiled appreciatively, and Hagrid led everyone back up to the castle.

---------------------------------------

"I am telling you, Jamie!" Richie said, "It was Joseph! He did it!"

"He wouldn't do something like that, Richie," Jamie said, "He loves Quidditch more then anything."

Richie and Jamie had arrived in the Gryffindor Common Room twenty minutes later.

"I am really doubting that," Richie said, "You saw what happened. He isn't even a team player. He stole that Quaffle from Wood, Jr.!"

"Yeah, I saw what happened," Jamie said, "But Richie..."

"Who else could have done it, Jamie?" Richie asked, "Hagrid would have told us if he saw anyone else watching."

"What is going on?" a voice said from the stairs.

Jane, as well as Alice and James, had come down into the Common Room.

"We had to deal with a Rogue Bludger!" Richie said, "It went straight after Jamie. If Hagrid wasn't down on the field, who knows what could have happened."

"A rogue bludger?" James said, "You are kidding."

"No... I am not kidding," Richie said, "Jamie is lucky she has two really good Beaters on the team."

"Looks like some one doesn't want you to win on Saturday, Jamie," Alice said, "But who would do such a thing?"

"Joseph..." Richie said.

"Joseph wouldn't do something like that!" Jane said, "He loves Quidditch."

"That is what I said," Jamie said.

"You should have seen him down there," Richie said, "First he didn't show up. He only came down with Hagrid. I guarantee you that Hagrid dragged him down to practice. You know how much Hagrid wants to see Gryffindor win. Hagrid probably just thought that Joseph hadn't remembered about our practice. But that is not all. Joseph basically stole the Quaffle from one of the other Chasers. He wasn't working as a team... and Chasers are the ones who have to be team players."

"You are just determined to hate Joseph because he broke up with Jane," Jamie told Richie.

"Fine," Richie said, "You will see tomorrow..."

Richie left the group and headed for the stairs.

"Remember to go to bed early tonight, Richie!" Jamie said, "I wanna see you ready for the game tomorrow!"

"Yes, Mam," Richie said, before disappearing up the stairs.

"I am right about this... right?" Jamie asked her other friends, "It couldn't have been Joseph."

"Joseph wouldn't have wanted to hurt you, Jamie," Jane said.

"He is still our friend," Alice said, "Even if he doesn't want to be. I don't think he did it."

Jamie smiled and bit and decided to go up to her dormitory. It had been a weird week, and Jamie knew it. She hadn't talked much to Romeo, but she guessed that Romeo figured she was really busy with the upcoming game. It was true... the game was the first thing on her mind...

-------------------------------------------------

It was Saturday morning, and most of the Quidditch team was sitting together in the Great Hall having lunch. Joseph was the only person whom wasn't sitting with them.

"Ravenclaw has a pretty good team this year, Jamie," Dawes said, "They have been bragging about Bones. You know, their Seeker. She is supposed to be really good."

"I can outlast her, Dawes," Jamie said, "You just need to worry about those Bludgers and keeping that Quaffle away from Ravenclaw's Chasers."

"And we have to hope that Bludger doesn't go rogue again," Creevey said, seriously.

"It won't," Jamie said, "I talked to McGonagall earlier this morning. She assured me that those Bludgers are standard. All of the Quidditch balls have been in her office since last night. Hagrid brought them up to her. She even called in Professor Wallace to inspect the things."

"Great idea," Richie said, "He is excellent with Charms and would know any charm that was put on those Bludgers."

"So, no worries about no Rogue Bludgers, team," Jamie said, "We just have to focus on this win. Oliver, Frye, don't worry about Joseph... just try to control that Quaffle."

"Sure thing, Captain," Oliver said.

"We will do our best," Frye said.

Ding! Ding! Ding! Jamie and the rest of the teams turned their attention to McGonagall, who stood up.

"Will the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw team please get ready to head down to the Pitch?" McGonagall asked.

"You heard the Headmistress!" Jamie said, "Let's go!"

Jamie and the rest of the team walked down to the Qudditch Pitch. Joseph was already in the locker room, finishing putting his things on.

"Well, Lupin," Jamie said, "Nice to see that you showed up."

"Of course I showed up!" Joseph said, "You couldn't do anything without your best Chaser!"

Jamie rolled her eyes, and looked at the rest of her team.

"All right, let's get ready guys!" Jamie commanded.

Ten minutes later, Jamie and the other players had mounted their brooms.

"... AND BONES!" a voice said from somewhere above the Pitch, "AND NOW FOR THE GRYFFINDOR TEAM! POTTER, WEASLEY, DAWES, FRYE, CREEVEY, WOOD, JR AND... LUPIN!"

Cheers were heard as Jamie and the rest of the team flew into the air.

"Jamie!" Richie said, from somewhere behind Jamie, "Look who's commentating!"

Jamie looked up at the Professors' seats and saw Jasmine Nott sitting next to Professor McGonagall. Jamie turned her attention to Joseph, who was just ahead of her.

"Why is Jasmine commentating, Joseph!" Jamie said.

"She wanted to try her skills, Jamie!" Joseph said, before waving up at Jasmine.

Jamie rolled her eyes and flew into her position.

"All right, captains," Madam Hooch said below Jamie, "You know the deal... I want a clean game! I mean it! Shake hands, please.

Jamie shook hands with the Ravenclaw captain, who was also the Keeper and looked like he could squash the Quaffle in his hand.

Madam Hooch released the Snitch and the Bludgers. Jamie flew farther into the air as she heard the whistle blow...

"AND THAT'S THE WHISTLE!" Jasmine said, "LUPIN HAS THE QUAFFLE... OH, HE DID HAVE IT! THOMPSON GRABBED IT FROM HIM! YOU CAN GET IT BACK JOSEPH!"

Jamie looked around for the Snitch, but stopped when she heard gasps from the crowd. The Ravenclaw Chaser was headed straight for Richie and the goals. Dawes hit a bludger toward Thompson, but Thompson dodged it.

"THE GRYFFINDOR BEATER WILL HAVE TO DO BETTER THAN THAT NEXT TIME!" Jasmine said, "YOU CAN'T GET A TRICK PAST THAT CHASER! AND THOMPSON IS HEADED FOR THE RINGS!"

Jamie turned her attention toward Richie. Richie looked ready to pounce. Thompson threw the Quaffle and Richie reached for it... but missed! Ravenclaw scored!

"SCORE!" Jasmine yelled, "RAVENCLAW UP TEN TO NOTHING!"

Richie looked furious with himself. He grabbed the Quaffle and threw it to Joseph.

"AND IT IS LUPIN WITH THE QUAFFLE!" Jasmine said, "WILL LUPIN SHOW WHY HE IS THE BEST CHASER EVER?"

Jamie rolled her eyes and turned his attention to searching for the Snitch. She didn't see it, but spotted Bones, the Ravenclaw Seeker. Bones didn't look as if she had seen it either.

"LUPIN DROPS THE QUAFFLE!" Jasmine said, "OH! NICE SAVE! FRYE HAS IT!"

Jamie looked down at the other end of the Pitch. Frye was headed straight for the rings.

"WILL HE MAKE IT?" Jasmine said, "OH AND A QUICK PASS TO WOOD, JR!"

Oliver circled the posts and threw the Quaffle toward the right one. It went through!

"AND IT SAILS THROUGH!" Jasmine said, "TEN-TEN ALL!"

Jamie was about to cheer, but heard a WHIRRR! She turned around and saw the Bludger heading for her. Suddenly, Creevey flew in front of Jamie and hit the Bludger away.

"THAT WAS REALLY CLOSE!" Jasmine said, "THE BLUDGER ALMOST HIT IT'S MARK!"

"Whew, thank, Creevey!" Jamie said.

"No problem," Creevey said, "I saw one of the Ravenclaw Beaters hit it towards you. Have you seen the Snitch yet?"

"No... I haven't," Jamie said.

"Well, I say we need to get this match over soon..." Creevey said, "If your cousin is right, and Joseph wants to do something... he will have his chance soon."

"I will worry about Joseph, Creevey," Jamie said, "Keep that Bludger away from me."

"That's what I do!" Creevey said, flying away.

"THOMPSON HAS THE QUAFFLE," Jasmine yelled, "HE THROWS IT... AND... AND LUPIN TAKES IT RIGHT AWAY FROM THAT RAVENCLAW CHASER! WHAT SKILL!"

Jamie watched as Joseph flew back toward the Ravenclaw goals. She noticed that the Ravenclaw Chasers were right on Joseph's tail.

"Joseph!" Jamie yelled, "Pass that thing!"

Joseph didn't listen. He was still headed for the goals. He threw the Quaffle toward the middle goal...

"OH... INTERCEPTED!" Jasmine yelled, "BIG MISTAKE BY JOSEPH! OH... WATCH OUT JOSEPH!"

It happened in a flash. One of the Bludgers hit Joseph's broom and sent Joseph and the broom toward the ground. He landed with a sickening thud.

"Joseph! No!" Jamie said.

Jamie knew this match had to get over... now. Jamie looked around for the Snitch, but failed again to find it. Suddenly, she saw Bones flying toward something near the middle of the Pitch. Something glowing... the Snitch! Jamie headed toward the Snitch.

"Come on, broom!" Jamie said.

Jamie was nearing Bones. Suddenly, the same Bludger that had hit Joseph began heading for Jamie. She saw it in time, and ducked... then heard a smack! Jamie didn't turn around to see what happened, but kept moving toward the Snitch. She reached for it... she almost had it... and...

"POTTER HAS THE SNITCH!" Jasmine yelled, "GRYFFINDOR WINS!

Jamie looked at the Snitch in her hands and smiled. She then remembered that Joseph had crashed. She looked at the ground and gasped. Joseph was still laying out on the ground. He wasn't moving...

**Aww Cliffhanger... How did you like my Quidditch Match writing skills. Good, eh?**

Would love feedback...


	15. All It Took

Chapter 15  
All It Took Was a Conk On The Head

It had been nearly an hour since Jamie had won the Qudditch Match for Gryffindor and noticed Joseph still unconscious on the hard ground of the Pitch. Jamie had reached the ground and walked over to Joseph, who was being magically lifted onto a stretcher by Madam Pomfrey. Jamie had only gotten two words out when Madam Pomfrey said she couldn't talk and had to get Joseph to the Hospital Wing straight away. This had Jamie very worried. Madam Pomfrey hadn't even told Jamie how Joseph was doing.

Jamie and the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team had been waiting in silence in the Gryffindor Common Room for nearly forty-five minutes before Hagrid and Professor Lupin had walked into the room. Professor Lupin announced that Joseph had suffered a concussion, but was awake. When many of the Quidditch players asked to see Joseph all at once, Professor Lupin stopped them, and said immediate friends could see him first, meaning Jamie, Jane, Alice, Richie and James.

Jamie was surprised Jane had agreed to go. But when she had spotted Jasmine sitting beside Joseph in the Hospital Wing, Jamie knew Jane wouldn't want to go in. She was right.

"I am not going in with you, guys," Jane said, "Sorry, I refuse to go."

"Jane, come on," Jamie said, "Joseph will want to see you. And I know you want to see how he is doing."

"Sorry, Jamie," said Jane, "I refuse to walk into that Hospital Wing while Jasmine is in there..."

Jamie sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Fine," Jamie said, "We will tell Joseph you decided not to come in."

Jane just shrugged and watched Jamie and the others walk into the Hospital Wing.

"Ah, there you are," Madam Pomfrey said as she noticed Jamie and the others, "Professor Lupin did say you would be coming. Well, come with me. Joseph is just over here. Do not worry, he is just fine. He is up and talking to Miss Nott."

"Did someone call my name?" said a female voice from the other end of Hospital Wing. Jasmine Nott appeared into view from behind a curtain and gave a "death stare" towards Jamie when she noticed her.

"Miss Potter and her friends have just come to say hello to Joseph," Madam Pomfrey said, "I will just leave you then..."

Madam Pomfrey left Jamie and her friends with Jasmine and Joseph, completely oblivious to the fact that Jasmine was giving the most unwelcoming of stares toward Jamie and her friends.

"What are you doing here, Potty?" Jasmine asked, eyes narrowed.

"Joseph is our friend too," Jamie said, not daring to blink.

James stepped in front of Jamie.

"Joseph has been our friend long before you decided to..." he began.

"James? Jamie?" a voice said from behind the curtains, "Is that you? What is going on?"

Jamie, James and the others walked into Joseph's view. His Quidditch clothes had been removed and he was wearing Hospital Wing robes.

"I was wondering when you would come and see me," Joseph said.

"Well, I am just going to leave for a little bit," Jasmine said. When Joseph didn't answer her, she stormed off and disappeared behind the curtains. Her footsteps could be heard marching towards the door of the Hospital Wing.

"How are you feeling?" Jamie said, trying to drown out the noise of Jasmine's steps.

"Fine, I guess..." Joseph said, "Jasmine told me about the game."

"Yeah, when I saw you crash, I..." Jamie began.

"Hey, where is Jane?" Joseph interrupted her, "I thought she would want to see how I was doing."

"She said she didn't want to come in," Jamie said.

"And who can blame her?" Richie said, "After what happened last..."

Richie stopped mid-sentence. He had noticed a tear running down Joseph's cheek.

"Oh, I am sorry, Joseph," Richie said, "It's just..."

"I am going to break up with Jasmine," Joseph said.

"Really?" Jamie asked.

"Jamie, I am sorry for lying to you," Joseph said, "I apologize for acting like a git."

"Apology accepted," Jamie said.

"Now I just hope Jane will forgive me," Joseph said, "I really miss her."

Jamie was about to talk but heard sobbing from behind the curtain. She raised a finger to her lips and moved slowly over to the curtain and pulled it back.

"Gotcha! Huh?" Jamie said, surprised.

Jane was sitting in a chair with her face in her hands. When she looked up, Jamie could tell that she had been crying.

"Jane?" Joseph said, "I..."

Jane stood up and ran the other direction toward the doors of the Hospital Wing.

"I am going to go talk to her," Jamie said, "You guys just stay here with Joseph."

"Don't make her mad," Joseph said, "Please..."

"I will try," Jamie said, before walking toward the door.

--------------------------------------------------------

Jamie knew right away where Jane had gone to. Their dormitory in Gryffindor Tower had always been Jane's favorite place to go and think. And sure enough, when Jamie had entered the dormitory, she had found Jane.

"Leave me alone!" Jane said.

"Jane, Joseph said that..."

"I heard what he said, Jamie!" Jane interrupted her, "I was sitting there, remember?"

"He misses you, Jane," Jamie said.

"Uh-huh," Jane said, "And what if this is just another lie? Joseph has been doing a quite a bit of lying these past few weeks. He was lying when he said he had just gone out to do his Head Boy duties. He basically lied when he didn't tell me about Jasmine. Jamie, he lied to you about the Imperious Curse!"

"Jane, he isn't lying," Jamie said, "I could see it in his eyes. He said he missed you, for Merlin's sake!"

"And what if I don't miss him!" Jane said, "I am not just going to forgive him for what he did, Jamie."

"First off, I know you miss him," Jamie said, "Your books are stained with the tears of missing him. And don't think I don't hear you crying at night!"

Jane didn't reply.

"You miss him, Jane," Jamie said, "Joey has been your only boyfriend you ever had. Jane... you annoyed me this summer with all the letters you wrote to me about your feelings for him. Don't tell me you do not miss him, Jane Weasley!"

Jane grabbed her pillow and began crying into it.

"Jane, the only reason you are crying is because you do miss him," Jamie said, sitting next to her, "I know it is going to be hard to forgive him. I know it will be hard to accept the fact that he went out with Jasmine. But Jane, he doesn't love Jasmine. He loves you... I can tell."

Jane looked up at Jamie with tear-swollen eyes.

"Jane," Jamie said, "Joseph got hit in the head with a Bludger, remember. He has the concussion to prove it. I bet you that that thing knocked some sense into him."

Jane smirked a bit, but Jamie wasn't sure if this was a happy smirk.

"Jane, I want you to do one thing for me," Jamie said, "I want you to talk to Joseph. Just talk to him. He isn't going anywhere. I think that is what you need, anyway. You need a heart-to-heart talk with Joseph."

Jane stood up and walked over to the window. She stared out the window for a few moments before turning around.

"You are right..." Jane said, "I do need to talk to him."

"That is the smartest thing you have said all day, Jane," Jamie said, "Come on."

Jamie stood up and walked with Jane out of the dormitory.

------------------------------------------

A few minutes later, Jamie and Jane made their way back into the Hospital Wing. They walked over to Joseph, who was talking to Richie.

"You guys better promise to not have a celebration without me," Joseph said, smirking, "I want to be a part of that Gryffindor celebration up there."

"We promise, Joey," Richie said.

"All right, all right," Jamie said, "Joseph, I have someone who wants to talk to you."

Jane walked into Joseph's sight.

"There's a sight for sore eyes," Joseph said, smiling at Jane.

"Well, guys," Jamie said, "We better get going and leave these two to talk."

James, Richie and Alice reluctantly agreed and walked with Jamie out of the Hospital Wing.

"You really sure about leaving Jane alone with Joseph?" Richie said, "Joseph already has enough injuries with that concussion of his. He doesn't need another."

"Relax," Jamie said, "I talked to Jane. She just needs to talk to Joseph."

Suddenly, Jasmine Nott appeared round the corner. She walked over to Jamie and stared her straight in the eyes.

"Listen, Potter," Jasmine said, "I have Joseph by his pinky. So why don't you just stay out of my relationship with him."

"What relationship, Nott?" James said, getting in between Jamie and Jasmine for the second time in under an hour, "Joey is in there talking to Jane, and I will bet you ten galleons that he has forgotten all about you."

"Why you little..." Jasmine said, taking her wand from her pocket. She pointed the wand straight at James.

Jamie whipped her own wand from her pocket. Suddenly another voice spoke up out of nowhere. "Petrificus Totalus!" the voice said from behind Jasmine. Jasmine's eyes widened. She went stiff as a board and fell backward. Jamie looked down at Jasmine, and then down the hall. Romeo was standing with his wand out.

"I have been wanting to do that since she broke up with me," Romeo said, putting his wand back in his pocket.

"What are you doing here, Malfoy?" James asked, threateningly.

"Easy, Potter," Romeo said, "I believe I just saved your life."

"I will ask again, Romeo," James said, "What are you doing here?"

"I was on my way to see Lupin," Romeo said.

"Joseph is fine, Romeo," Jamie said, "He is talking to Jane."

"So it looks like the Head Couple is back together?" Romeo said, smirking.

"Only time will tell," Jamie said.

"What is going on here?" a voice said.

Jamie turned around. Madam Pomfrey was standing outside the door of the hospital wing.

"What happened here?" Madam Pomfrey said, walking over to Jasmine and kneeling beside her, "She's been cursed!"

"It was self-defense, Madam Pomfrey," Romeo said, "I was coming to see how Lupin was and I noticed that Jasmine had her wand out. I had to curse her."

"Be that as it may," Madam Pomfrey said, "There is no use of wand in the halls. I have to report this to Professor McGonagall."

"What?" Romeo said.

"You should have called for me, Mr. Malfoy," Madam Pomfrey said, "I would have sorted it out. Instead I have another person for the Hospital Wing. You will come with me... all of you."

Madam Pomfrey summoned a stretcher and placed Jasmine Nott onto it. She took Jasmine into the Hospital Wing, and a minute later walked back out.

"Follow me," she said.

Jamie, Romeo, and the others followed Madam Pomfrey to Professor McGonagall's office.

**Another Cliffhanger... oh no! And I promise you, Jasmine's punishment is far from over... but it won't happen next chapter...**

Feedback wanted... as always!


	16. A Date in Detention

Chapter 16  
A Date in Detention

Detention. For the first time since fourth year, Jamie Potter had recieved a detention. But this time she hadn't deserved it.

Jamie was staring up at the top of her four-poster bed, trying to clear her mind of the meeting she had with Professor McGonagall. It had been nearly an hour ago but Professor McGonagall's office was still in Jamie's mind...

_Flashback begins:_

Madam Pomfrey, Jamie, Romeo and the others arrived at the door of Professor McGonagall's office. Madam Pomfrey knocked on the door, and they waited for an answer. As they waited, Jamie looked around at her friends. Would they all be serving a detention? Alice, whom had never been in a detention in her life, was only there because she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. She had done nothing to Jasmine. Richie hadn't done anything to Jasmine as well. He was also there for no reason. James was only there because, like many other times, he had stood up for his older sister. No... Jamie felt that only herself and Romeo needed to serve these detentions. Jamie was sure that it was because of her that Romeo cursed Jasmine Nott. Why else would he do it?

_The door opened and Professor McGonagall was standing in the doorway. She looked at Madam Pomfrey, then to the other students._

"What is the meaning of this?" McGonagall said in her stern voice, "Is something wrong?"

_"Professor McGonagall," Madam Pomfrey said, "Can we please come in? I will tell you about everything inside."_

_"Yes, of course," Professor McGonagall said, letting Madam Pomfrey, Jamie and the other students in. "Now, what is going on?" McGonagall said, after closing the door._

_"Well," Madam Pomfrey said, "I was tending to the patients in the Hospital Wing and I heard a commotion outside the door. I opened the door to see what was going on, and I find these students, as well as Jasmine Nott. Miss Nott was on the ground in the full body-bind. Miss Potter's wand was out when I had discovered them."_

_"Well, Miss Potter?" McGonagall said, looking from Madam Pomfrey to Jamie, "What do you have to say?"_

_"Well, Professor," Jamie said, trying to figure out how to tell her side of the story._

_"It was self-defense, Professor!" Romeo said._

_"Mr. Malfoy?" McGonagall asked._

_"It was self-defense, Professor," Romeo repeated, "I had come to visit Joseph Lupin in the Hospital Wing and I had discovered Jasmine Nott pointing her wand at James and Jamie. I couldn't let them get hurt..."_

_McGonagall looked from Romeo to Jamie, then to James._

_"Is this correct?" she asked._

_James nodded._

_"Alice and Richie had nothing to do with it," Jamie said, "They had joined James and I. We were going to go back to the Common Room and Jasmine confronted us."_

_McGonagall paused, then looked at Alice and Richie. She then turned her attention to Madam Pomfrey._

_"Madam Pomfrey," McGonagall said, "I know you need to tend to your patients, so you can leave if you want. And... please take Mr. Weasley and Miss Longbottom with you. Make sure they go to their common room."_

_Jamie looked from Romeo to James with a surprised look._

_"Yes, mam," Madam Pomfrey said, "Come on, you two."_

_Alice and Richie didn't say a word. They followed Madam Pomfrey out of the office. Jamie turned back to McGonagall._

_"I am seriously disappointed in all three of you," McGonagall said._

_"Professor, it was in self-defense!" Jamie said._

_Professor McGonagall raised a hand to stop Jamie. "I thought that all three of you would have known better than to use magic without permission," she said, "Especially you two, Jamie and James. Gryffindors are supposed to know better than this. And I thought your father would have taught you better."_

_"I was the only one who cast a spell Professor," Romeo said, "Jamie was going to defend herself and her brother, but I... beat her to it."_

_"That may be," said Professor McGonagall, "But the three of you should know better than to fight in the halls. You know you should report these things to one of the staff. Madam Pomfrey was feet from you. But you decided to take the matter into your own hands. So, as punishment, you will all serve a detention..."_

_Jamie sighed and closed her eyes._

_"A Detention tomorrow night," Professor McGonagall continued, "James, you will help Madam Pomfrey with her cleaning of the Hospital Wing."_

_James groaned._

_"As for you two," McGonagall said, turning to Romeo and Jamie, "You will help Professor Lupin with whatever he needs. You all are to report to your detentions at seven-o-clock sharp. Do you understand?"_

_Jamie, Romeo, and James nodded silently in understanding._

_End Flashback_

Jamie still couldn't believe it. It was true, she was happy that Alice and Richie didn't get into trouble, but she still had detention. Jamie clinched her hands into fists at the very thought of why she had recieved detention. If Jasmine Nott hadn't confronted her, Jamie wouldn't have recieved a detention. Was Jasmine going to get a detention as well? It was probable, but a detention still wasn't the right punishment for Jasmine. She had almost cursed Jamie and her brother! She wasn't going to get away with that.

Suddenly, a sound of the dormitory door creaking was heard, followed by a happy-sounding hum. Jamie sighed loud enough, hoping that whoever was intruding on her thinking time would go away.

"Jamie?" It was Jane's voice. "Jamie, is that you?"

"Yeah, it is me," Jamie said.

"I don't think my day could get any better, Jamie," Jane said, "Joseph and I are back together... and, if you believe it, Jasmine Nott is in the Hospital Wing! Last time I saw her, she was stiff as a board!"

Jamie rolled her eyes. Jane opened the curtains around Jamie's bed.

"Jamie?" Jane said, "What's the matter?"

"I am the reason Jasmine Nott is in the Hospital Wing," Jamie said.

"What?" Jane said.

"Long story," Jamie said.

"Oh, come on," Jane said, "I want to hear it."

"It's not as great as it sounds," Jamie said, "Well, you remember when I left the Hospital Wing with James, Richie and Alice... you know, to give you alone time with Joseph."

"Of course," Jane said.

"Well, Jasmine happened to show up," Jamie said.

"And?" Jane asked, urging Jamie to continue.

"She started being herself," Jamie said, "You know... 'Potty' this and 'Don't cross me' that."

"What did you do?" Jane said.

"I didn't do anything," Jamie said.

"I don't believe that," Jane said.

"I didn't," Jamie said, "I would have... but James stepped in. He defended me... well, actually he defended you and Joseph."

"How?" Jane asked.

"How else?" Jamie said, "Nott was bad-mouthing you and Joseph. So James butted in. Well anyway, Nott got angry and whipped out her wand. I took out my wand but Nott had gotten cursed by someone else."

"Really? Who?" Jane said.

"Romeo Malfoy," Jamie said, trying to not sound too proud.

"He was the one who put Jasmine in the full body-bind?" Jane asked, surprised.

Jamie smirked. "But then it gets bad from there," she said.

"What do you mean?" Jane asked.

"Pomfrey found us," Jamie said, "And well... she tended to Jasmine, bringing her into the Hospital Wing. And then came back and took us to Professor McGongall's office."

"Oh, no..." Jane said, covering her mouth with both hands, "Did Malfoy rat you out or something? Say you did everything? I mean, I am sure McGonagall knows what kind of a feud you have with Nott. She probably would have believed Romeo..."

"No!" Jamie said, "Malfoy was actually nice about it."

Jane raised an eyebrow.

"He said he defended us," Jamie continued, "But McGonagall wouldn't have it. Alice and Richie got off with no punishment. But... the rest of us have detentions. James has to spend his detention helping Madam Pomfrey clean the Hospital Wing, and... Romeo and I have to serve our detention with Professor Lupin."

"Oh, I don't envy you!" Jane said, in a disgusted tone, "Two hours or so with Romeo Malfoy!"

Jamie said nothing. Jane was right! Jamie was going to be able to spend two hours with Romeo Malfoy! Maybe this detention wasn't so bad after all...

"When do you have to serve these detentions?" Jane asked.

"Huh?" Jamie asked, still deep in thought about Romeo and the detention, "Oh, tomorrow night. Seven-o-clock."

"That soon, eh?" Jane said, "Well, maybe you will be lucky and Romeo will leave you alone."

Jamie smirked. "Yeah, maybe," she said.

"Well, I am going to go back downstairs," Jane said, "Oh, I am so happy right now. Not about your detention, of course."

"Of course," said Jamie.

Jane smiled and closed the curtains around Jamie's bed. Jamie laid back down on the bed and sighed. She was going to be able to spend more time with Romeo. Even if it is in detention with Professor Lupin. At that last thought, Jamie bolted up. Detention with Professor Lupin? He knows about her relationship with Romeo!

"Oh, yeah, Jamie," Jamie said to herself, in a sarcastic tone, "This is going to be really fun."

Jamie rolled her eyes and laid back down on the bed.

---------------------------------------

It was nearing seven-o-clock the next night, and Jamie was standing outside Professor Lupin's office.

"Well, I guess Professor McGonagall doesn't know about our relationship," said a voice, "Otherwise she wouldn't have put us two together in the same detention."

Jamie turned her head and saw Romeo walking towards her.

"Yeah... nice to see you too," Jamie said.

"Jamie, why aren't you happy?" Romeo said, "This thing isn't like a detention at all. It is like a date... in a classroom."

"Romeo," Jamie said, "Do I have to remind you? Professor Lupin knows about our relationship!"

Romeo's eyes widened at this. "I...er, forgot about that," he said.

"And do I have to remind you that Professor Lupin is one of my father's best friends?" Jamie asked.

"So what?" Romeo said.

"Romeo," Jamie said, rolling her eyes, "I am basically like a daughter to Professor Lupin. And you are... basically... a boy coming over to dinner to meet my parents!"

"What in Merlin's world are you talking about, Jamie," Romeo said.

"Two words, Romeo," Jamie said, "The... Talk."

"What?... oh," Romeo said, a look of understanding lighting his face.

"Professor Lupin may have promised not tell my father about this," Jamie said, "But it doesn't mean this is a free ride."

The door of the office opened and Professor Lupin walked out.

"Oh, good," he said, "You are both here. Come on in."

Jamie and Romeo followed Lupin into the office.

"First of all, I would like to say that I am very dis-pleased with the both of you," Lupin said, "Haven't I taught you enough in over six years of Defense Against the Dark Arts? I taught you to control your magic, not use it for fun."

"I was defending Jamie, Professor," Romeo said.

"Yes, yes," Lupin said, "McGonagall has told me everything. But that still doesn't mean you have to throw curses at anyone who threatens Jamie just because she is your girlfriend!"

"Can we leave that out of this?" Romeo asked, "It has nothing to do with this detention."

"Oh, it has everything to do with the detention, Mr. Malfoy," Lupin said, "Tell me... would you be here if you weren't dating Jamie?"

"I would have defended Jamie either way!" Romeo said, "She was in danger. I may be a Slytherin, Professor Lupin, but I do not sit around while people are in danger. Who do you think I am... my father?"

Jamie's mouth opened in shock. Romeo never talked like this in front of a teacher before!

"Your father has nothing to do with this," Lupin said.

"Oh, but my relationship with Jamie does?" Romeo said, "This is why we were keeping our relationship secret, Professor. This is why, unfortunately, you are the only one who knows about it. We didn't even tell our friends, Professor. Because we knew we wouldn't be left alone if we did."

Professor Lupin put his hands together as if in prayer. He stared at Romeo for a few seconds, then began to talk.

"Why do you want to keep this relationship of yours secret?" he asked.

"I already told you," Romeo began.

"Do you know about Harry Potter's history with your father?" Lupin asked him.

"You said my father has nothing to do with this," Romeo said.

"Do you know about the history between..." Lupin began.

"Yes, I know the history between my father and Jamie's father!" Romeo said, standing up, "My father has never been to Azkaban because he is fighting for revenge. I know this. My grandfather was killed because of something connected with Harry Potter, and my father wants revenge. I am afraid for Jamie's life if my father finds out about us. How do you think my father would react if he knew I was dating his enemy's daughter?"

Professor Lupin paused at this. He was, in fact, speechless.

"Exactly, Professor," Romeo said, "Now you know why we are keeping our relationship secret."

"Well, that still doesn't excuse the fact for you fighting in the halls," Lupin said. Romeo was about speak, but Lupin interrupted him, "Self-defense or not, it was still fighting. The Ministry is trying to cease all fighting, are here you are cursing people in the halls."

"You make it sound like I do it all time, Professor," Romeo said, "Like I am some kind of bad person."

"I never said that, Romeo," Lupin said, "I know you are not a bad person. You were only put in Slytherin because of your Malfoy blood. I know that. But, it was still fighting, and this is still punishment. Now, I really don't have anything for you to do in here for me... so I want you two to go down to the Trophey room and polish the trophies."

Romeo and Jamie were about to complain, but they saw the look on Lupin's face.

"Yes, sir," Jamie said.

Romeo just nodded and followed Jamie out of the office.

"That was an interesting conversation," Jamie said as she walked down the hall with Romeo.

"Interesting?" Romeo said, "Jamie, I don't think Lupin likes me that much. You saw how he was... all I did yesterday was defend you and now we have to polish trophies for it!"

"What are you talking about, Romeo?" Jamie said, "Professor Lupin likes you."

"I am just saying this, Jamie," Romeo said, "I think it is going to get worse from here."

"I highly doubt that," Jamie said.

"You still remember what I asked you to promise me, right?" Romeo said, "About my father..."

"Of course, Romeo," Jamie said.

"Good, because I don't want you to forget it," Romeo said.

Jamie didn't say anything, but took Romeo's hand in response. Romeo smirked at her, and they went to serve their detention.

**Aww, Lupin is playing father figure! How sweet! Next chapter is Halloween! Will there be tricks or treats? Or Both... you will have to find out.**

Feedback appreciated...


	17. Trick or Treat

Chapter 17  
Trick or Treat?

It had been two weeks since Jamie and Romeo had served their detention polishing trophies. Halloween had finally arrived. There were rumors that the Halloween Feast would be replaced with a Ball, but McGonagall had confirmed that this was not true, but that there would be a Ball right before Christmas Break in December.

Jamie and Romeo's relationship was still secret, and it seemed that Professor Lupin had been thinking a lot about his conversation with Romeo and Jamie. This was apparent... Jamie, who was used to being called to the front of the Defense Against the Dark Arts Class to demonstrate a spell, had only been called up once in the past two weeks. Romeo hadn't been called up at all.

It had also been two weeks since Jane and Joseph got back together. Two days after they made up, nearly everyone in the school knew that the "Head Couple" had gotten back together. Jamie hadn't seen Jane so happy then she did in the past couple of weeks. Even her schoolwork had improved. Though this didn't say much as Jane had always done good with her schoolwork. Jamie had assigned one more Quidditch Practice and, right off the bat, Jamie knew Joseph had gotten better because of the fact he had gotten back with Jane. In fact, the only times Jane and Joseph were not together, was when they were either in bed or in class. They had even done their Head Boy and Girl duties together, and most of the students in the halls could get away with anything because the Head couple were too busy talking to each other.

Halloween had finally come and Jamie was still asleep in her bed with daylight had entered the dormitory. She was only woken up when she heard voices coming from around her bed. Hoping she could get some more sleep, she closed her eyes.

"Oh, just let her sleep," Alice said, barely above a whisper.

"She's had enough sleep," Jane said, "Besides, it is Halloween. She can't over-sleep on my favorite holiday!"

Even though Jamie pretended to be asleep, she still heard the curtains around her bed open.

"Oh, Jane, don't do that!" Alice said.

"Agua..."

"Don't even think about it," Jamie said, opening her eyes.

Jane had her wand in her hand. She jumped back at the sound of Jamie's voice.

"Holy Merlin, Jamie!" Jane gasped, "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"Serves you right," Jamie said, getting farther under her covers.

"Come on, get up!" Jane said, "It is Halloween! We always have fun on Halloween. This is our day to have fun and not get in trouble for it."

"The Head Girl actually wants to be the one who is causing the mischief?" Jamie asked, "That is... shocking. Besides, I thought you would want to spend the day with Joey again."

"I can spend the day with both of you, can't I?" Jane asked.

Jamie didn't answer this. She had been hoping she could somehow spend the day with Romeo. They hadn't had alone time in a while now.

"I don't want to intrude, Jane," said Jamie, "And besides... spending all day with you... when everytime I see you and Joseph, you two are glued by the mouth? No, I will pass."

Jane blushed and said nothing.

"Fine, fine, I will get up," Jamie said, pushing her covers off of her.

Jamie quickly dressed and walked with Jane and Alice down to the Common Room. They met up with Joseph (whom was greeted by Jane with a kiss) and walked out of the Gryffindor Common Room.

----------------------------------------

When Jamie and the gang had entered the Great Hall, the Halloween decorations were already being set up for the big feast that night. Candle-lit pumpkins hung with no support above the four House tables. A few of the live bats were already flying around the Hall, annoying the few owls who had already made their way in for mail duty. Jamie even spotted Nearly-Headless Nick popping out from the tables, trying to scare the students who were eating breakfast. But, unfortunately for Nick, all he was doing was causing laughter.

"Heh, it looks like Nick is still trying to get into the Headless Hunt!" Joseph said, smirking, "Looks like Sir Patrick has asked Nick to see if he can scare us again."

And sure enough, when Jamie and her friends sat down at the table, Nick popped up and un-latched his head from his neck.

"Nick, that didn't scare us back in first year," Joseph said, "And it isn't going to scare us today."

"Can't you at least act scared?" Nick said, grimly, "Just this once. Patrick announced last night that they were going to play 'Bobbing for Heads' today and I really want to join!"

"And how, may I ask, are you going to bob for your head?" Joseph said.

"Hmmph!" Nick said, "You may be Head Boy, but you are still have the same attitude you did back in first year!"

Nick floated away. Joseph laughed as Nick failed once again at trying to scare one of the second years.

"Will he ever learn?" Joseph said.

"I don't think so," Jamie said, watching Nick leave the Great Hall. As Nick left, Jamie noticed that Romeo had entered. He gave her a small smirk, and Jamie smirked back affectionately.

"What are you smirking at, Jamie?" Jane said.

"Huh... oh, uh, nothing," Jamie said.

"Uh-huh," Jane said.

"A girl can smirk if she wants, can't she?" Jamie asked.

"You were smirking at Romeo," Jane said.

"No I was not!" Jamie said, quickly, "I... was smirking at Nick. He tried to scare Romeo! I thought it was funny."

"Uh-huh," Jane said.

Jamie rolled her eyes. Jane wasn't going to believe her, she just knew it. Besides, she knew Jane would eventually see what was under her nose, and see that Jamie was going out with Romeo. Jamie knew this, but she still smiled at the fact that even the proclaimed "brightest witch of her age" wasn't smart enough to realize her cousin and best friend had someone to... in her own words, write notes to.

"Hey, did you hear?" Joseph said, "The Weird Sisters are re-uniting just this once to sing at our feast tonight! I cannot wait for that!"

"Really?" Jane said, "That won't be something to miss. Can you believe it has been nearly five years since they had broken up?"

"I remember when they broke up, Jane," Jamie smirked, "You were sitting in our dormitory and wouldn't come out cause you were so mad."

"Hey, they were my favorite band!" Jane said, "Hey, Jamie! Isn't that Ares?"

"Huh?" Jamie said, looking around the ceiling of the Great Hall.

At once, she noticed her owl, Ares, flying through the air among the bats with a letter tied to her leg. Ares swooped down and landed beside the plate of bacon.

"Thanks, Ares," Jamie said, untying the piece of parchment. Ares then flew off.

"Who is it from?" Jane said.

"I don't know, hold on," Jamie said. Jamie looked at the letter and, at once, noticed Romeo's hand-writing.

"I... have to go somewhere," Jamie said, "Talk to you guys later."

Ignoring the complaints from Jane, Joseph and Alice, Jamie got up and walked out of the Great Hall. She then walked over to the steps and sat down, then opened the letter again.

_Dear Jamie,_

I know we haven't spent much time together in the past couple of weeks and I apologize. I really want to make up for that. I was thinking of ditching my friends and walking around the lake. Are you up for it? If so, meet me out in the Entrance Hall after breakfast.

_Love,_

_Romeo_

Jamie smiled and folded the piece of parchment, then pocketed it.

"So, is that a yes?" a voice said.

Jamie looked up. Romeo was standing in the doorway of the Great Hall.

"Of course," Jamie said, smiling. She stood up, walked over to Romeo and kissed him on the cheek.

"Good, I have been looking for an excuse to get away from those dolts," Romeo said, "Jasmine won't shut up and it annoys me."

"Does she know you were the one who cursed her?" Jamie said.

"No, not yet," Romeo said, taking Jamie's hand and leading her though the front door of Hogwarts, to the Hogwarts Grounds.

Jamie and Romeo walked down to Hagrid's hut and walked around it. They heard grunting and noticed that Hagrid was looking through his pumpkins.

"Come on," whispered Jamie, "I don't want Hagrid to see us..."

Too late. Hagrid turned around just as Romeo and Jamie were walking by.

"Oh, hullo Jamie," Hagrid said, "Who's that...? Romeo Malfoy?"

"Yeah, uh, we were just talking a walk," Jamie said.

"Oh, are you an' Romeo..." Hagrid said, "There were rumors that you were together."

"Rumors?" Jamie said, "Who told you these rumors?"

"Jasmine Nott," Hagrid said.

Jamie and Romeo looked at each other.

"Oh, but I have not told a soul," Hagrid said, quickly, "I thought it was jus' a rumor."

"I knew this would happen," Jamie said.

"What'sa matter?" Hagrid said, "Has Jasmine bin causin' trouble?"

"Not yet," Jamie said, putting the emphasis on the word "yet".

"Well, we are going to leave you, Hagrid," Romeo said, "Looks like you are busy."

"Yeah, I got these extra pumpkins fer tonight's feast," Hagrid said, "Most of em' are fer decorations, but a few are going down to the elves. These will make the bes' Pumpkin Juice and Pumpkin Pie 'round. I can guarantee dat."

"Can't wait Hagrid," Jamie said, motioning for Romeo to leave.

Romeo got the picture and he and Jamie left and walked around the forest to the edge of the lake.

"Can you believe that?" Jamie said, "First Lupin and now Jasmine and Hagrid knows."

"Doesn't matter that much to me," said Romeo, "Who cares if people see us holding hands and snogging. I couldn't care less what they think."

"Good, because soon the whole school is going to know," a voice said.

Romeo and Jamie turned around. Jasmine Nott was standing there.

"You little..." Romeo began.

"Ah, ah, ah," interrupted Jasmine, "Haven't you learned? It isn't nice to swear in front of your girlfriend. And speaking of which... Potty, how are you this fine Halloween?"

"Actually I was doing pretty well," Jamie said, through gritted teeth, "Then I was rudely interrupted. Tell me, Jasmine, how is single life suiting you."

"I wouldn't know, Potter," Jasmine said, "When Joey broke up with me, well, I just moved on... to bigger and better things. Oh, Cope... come here, won't you?"

"Zabini?" Romeo mouthed.

Suddenly, Copernicus Zabini revealed himself from his invisibilty cloak. Jamie knew who this boy was. He was the Keeper for the Slytherin team, and also a seventh year.

"Cope, you are going out with Jasmine?" Romeo said.

"Duh, Romeo," Copernicus said.

"You see, Romeo," Jasmine said, "When you and I were dating, I was also snogging Cope on the side. Looks like I found myself a Keeper."

Copernicus laughed dully at Jasmine's joke. Jamie just rolled her eyes.

"You were supposed to be my friend, Cope!" Romeo said.

"Your friend?" Copernicus said, "I don't want to be friends with a guy who is spending his free time snogging Gryffindors."

"Oh, but didn't you know, Cope," Jamie said, "Your own girlfriend was snogging a Gryffindor on her free time. Or are you too thick to realize it?"

"Potter, don't you get it," Jasmine said, "I was using Joey to get to you and Romeo."

"He WAS under an Imperius Curse!" Jamie said, shocked, "You little..."

"Ah ah ah," Jasmine said again, "Let me finish. You see, I knew Romeo was snogging you in his free time. And I knew that this information could have been used to black-mail you. But I wanted something more. I wanted to get at one of your friends... then it came to me. Why get at one of your friends... when I can get at two? So I went and had a little talk with the Head Boy and in the end, he couldn't help but fall in love with me. He may be Head Boy and a Professor's son, but he was too thick to even realize he was under the Imperius Curse. Even his father believed him when he said he wasn't under the curse. But then, of course he gets hit with that Bludger and the Imperius Curse wore off. But I had already done enough damage."

"It didn't work, Nott," Jamie, "Joseph and Jane and still together."

"Potter, I didn't care anymore about Lupin and his Half-Blood girlfriend," Jasmine said, "Why do you think I confronted you outside the Hospital Wing?"

"That didn't work either, Nott," Jamie said.

"You got lucky, Potter," Nott said, "You are just like your father. You have learned to slither out of things easily. And you have your friends to help you. But that ends now..."

"Jamie, get out of the way!" Romeo said.

Jasmine whipped her wand out of her pocket. "Sectumsempra!" she yelled.

Jamie dove just in time. She took her wand from her pocket and pointed it at Jasmine. "Expelliarmus!" she yelled.

The spell missed.

"Ha!" Jasmine laughed, "You need to learn to concentrate, Potty! Even a lousy Disarming Spell missed!"

"And you need to learn to watch your back, Nott," a voice said behind Jasmine.

Jasmine turned around. Jamie saw Cope standing with his wand pointing at Jasmine.

"Cope?" Jasmine said.

"Stupefy!" Copernicus said.

The spell hit Jasmine square in the chest. She fell to the ground, stunned.

"What is going on?" Jamie said, looking from Cope, to Jasmine, then to Romeo.

"I guess I am single again," Copernicus said, "Ah, well... I have to make some sacrifices."

"Sacrifices?" Jamie said, "Romeo, what is going on?"

"Well, let's just say Jasmine got a little trick when she was hoping for a treat," Romeo smirked, "I had to get back at Jasmine, Jamie, and I knew she could hurt you. So I told Cope here about us, and our little feud with Jasmine."

"You told your best friend about us?" Jamie asked, "Why?"

"I had to, Jamie," Romeo said, "It is the only way I could get Jasmine to leave us alone."

"Well, I guess I can't stay mad at you for that," Jamie said. She picked herself off the ground and walked over to Romeo, then kissed him.

"Well, I guess I should leave you two alone," Copernicus said, "I am going to take Nott up to the Hospital Wing. I'll just tell Madam Pomfrey that Jasmine tripped and knocked herself out. She will believe me."

Copernicus conjured a stretcher and lifted Nott onto it. He walked with the Stretcher back towards the forest and out of sight.

"So you aren't mad at me?" Romeo asked.

"Mad?" Jamie said, "No... besides, Jasmine deserved it. And you deserve this."

Jamie grabbed Romeo around the waist and kissed him again.

Jamie and Romeo took their long-awaited walk around the lake and spent time with each other until the sun was nearly behind the horizon.

**I know, I didn't put the Halloween Feast in, but I couldn't think of any more. I had loads of references in this chapter though. And it was exciting wasn't it?**

Feedback is loved, as always!


	18. A Forbidden Excursion

Chapter 18  
A "Forbidden" Excursion

After Halloween, Hagrid had assigned a new creature for the seventh years who were in the "Care of Magical Creatures" class. Hagrid had explained that he had found a pack of mother-less Crups alone and hungry in the Forbidden Forest and decided to take them in. The students were assigned to take care of the Crups and bring them back to full health. He had paired the students together and it just so happened that Jamie had been paired with Romeo. The moment he had done this, Jamie noticed that Jane had a very confused look on her face.

"What?" Jamie asked Jane.

"Is Hagrid angry at you or something?" Jane asked, "He paired you with Romeo! We could have been teamed up, but instead I am paired up with Alice!"

"What is wrong with being teamed up with me?" Alice asked.

"Oh, nothing, Alice," said Jane, still looking at Jamie, "It is just... Hagrid knows Jamie and I are cousins and that we would get alone nicely. But instead Jamie is teamed up with Romeo. I am trying to figure out why he would do this..."

"He's the teacher, Jane," Jamie said, "He can do what he wants."

"Yeah, well, good luck Jamie," Jane said, "You are going to need it."

Jane, however, found out that she had been wrong. Jamie had noticed that Jane was spying on her and Romeo, and it was getting very annoying.

"You know, Romeo," Jamie whispered, looking over at Jane who was busy with her own Crup, "I am starting to think Hagrid and Professor Lupin aren't the only ones who know about our relationship."

"Well, you would be right," Romeo whispered, "Remember, Jasmine and Cope know about us as well."

"You don't think Cope would tell anyone, would you?" Jamie whispered.

"No, he wouldn't," Romeo whispered, feeding a piece of raw rabbit meat to his Crup, "But I can't say the same thing about Jasmine. Oh, I didn't tell you. Cope tried to put a Memory Charm on Jasmine, but Madam Pomfrey caught him. Too bad, it would have been nice for Jasmine to leave us alone. You know... ow!"

The crup had taken a swipe at Romeo's hand with its pitch-fork tail.

"Man, that is the second time he did that to me," Romeo said, turning to Hagrid, "Oi, Hagrid! When can we remove these tails? These things are dangerous!"

"Oh, not fer 'nother two weeks, Romeo," Hagrid said, "They ain't ready fer it. Oh, I fergot, I need ter tell ya guys somethin'."

Hagrid walked to the center of the class and motioned for the students to listen to him.

"Aw right, students, listen up!" Hagrid said, "Y'all know that these Crups were born in the forest. Well, I have decided to do something. In a couple o' weeks, I think they will be ready ter go back ter der natural home. Unfortunately, this means that we won't be able to remove those tails. 'Cause if we did, the Crups wouldn' be able ter defend demselves."

"So, we will be able to go into the forest?" Alice asked.

"'At's right, Alice," Hagrid said, "I got permission from McGonagall, so we will be able ter go in ter the forest at the end o' the month. But until then, we have ter make sure these little guys are strong enough ter survive in der. So get back ter work, all o' ya."

Jamie laughed silently. She didn't know how Hagrid could call what they were doing "work". All they had to do was feed the Crups and take them for walks. The only homework Hagrid had assigned was that the students would have to come down to the garden once in a while and play with the Crups.

----------------------------------

The last Thursday of the month, the day of the trip into the Forbidden Forest, came in like a lion. Grey clouds covered the skies, threatening snowfall. The temperature was nearing freezing point and it wasn't unusual for students to be seen carrying jars of everlasting fire with them while they walk. It was very forntunate that the Care of Magical Creatures class would be the last class that day, because Jamie was sure she would be frozen to her skin when she came back from the forest.

"Hagrid, Snuffles doesn't like his leash!" Jamie yelled over the icy wind, "Are you sure we have to keep it on these guys!"

It was minutes before Hagrid would be taking the Care of Magical Creatures students and their Crups into the forest, and many of students were chatting excitedly. Most of the students had never been into the forest, and this was quite a treat. Unfortunately, the Crups were barking too loud to continue many of their conversations.

"Ya don't want ter be losing them inside that fores', Jamie!" Hagrid said.

Jamie knew Hagrid was right, but she was pretty sure the Crup wasn't listening. Jamie was doing all she could to keep Snuffles from biting at it's leash.

"Romeo, this isn't working," Jamie said, "I don't know why Snuffles won't behave."

"He doesn't like the cold, Jamie," Romeo said, "Here, I will take the leash."

"Your a lifesaver," Jamie said, handing the leash over to Romeo.

"You know, Jamie," Romeo whispered, getting nearer to Jamie, "It is going to be quite dark in there... and cold."

"Romeo, don't even think about it," said Jamie, "Remember, Jane has been keeping her eye on us."

"Don't remind me," Romeo said, rolling his eyes, "Sometimes I think it would be better if we just came out and told her about us. We will have to tell her sometime! The Ball is less then a month away and I am going with you! I don't care what your cousin says."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Jamie said.

"All righ' ya lot," Hagrid said, "Let's get goin'. It's down right cold out here! Now, remember, it is gonna be bloody dark in der. So keep yer wands lit. And please keep track o' yer Crups. It's a long way to der cave n' we don't need any of you to get lost. All right... C'mon Fang!"

Jamie lit her wand and followed Romeo, Hagrid, and the rest of the class into the dark forest. A howl was heard minutes after the class entered the forest, and some of the students started whispering.

"Don't worry," Hagrid's voice said in the distance, "None o' the creatures in this fores' will harm ya as long as yer with me. That howl was in the opposite direction o' where we are headed anyway. Keep up, the lot o' ya!"

"You can keep close to me if you want, Jamie," Romeo said from behind Jamie.

"What did I say, Romeo?" Jamie said, "And besides, you have enough trouble with Snuffles."

This was true. As Jamie said this, the little Crup dragged Romeo ahead of Jamie and into the darkness.

"Romeo, wait up!" Jamie said, "You are out of my line of sight!"

Romeo didn't reply.

"Romeo?" Jamie called, moving forward, "This is not funny!"

Suddenly, Jamie heard someone groaning.

"Romeo?" Jamie called again.

"Over here... bloody animal," Romeo's voice said.

Jamie pointed her wand in the direction of Romeo's voice. She then saw Romeo getting up from the ground. The leash was in his hand, but there was nothing attached to it.

"Romeo!" Jamie said, running over to Romeo, "What happened to Snuffles?"

"He ran off," Romeo said, picking himself off the ground, "He chewed through the leash and freed himself. We better get Hagrid."

"No," Jamie said, "Besides, I can't see any light other than mine."

"You mean we are lost?" Romeo said, "Oh, this is just perfect, Jamie."

"We aren't lost, Romeo," Jamie said, "We just need to find Snuffles and get back on the path. We will find Hagrid before long."

"He probably doesn't even know we are not with them," Romeo said.

"Come on, let's get going," Jamie said.

Jamie and Romeo walked off the path into the direction of where the Crup ran off. They kept quiet, listening for any sound of barking, but all they heard was crickets chirping and a faint howl in the distance.

"It is no use," Romeo said, "We are going too far away from the path. We..."

"Shh... listen!" Jamie said, "Do you hear that... Snuffles? Are you there? Come on, Romeo, follow me..."

"Jamie, no, Jamie!" Romeo said behind Jamie, "Come on..."

"I am not leaving without that Crup!" Jamie said.

Romeo caught up with Jamie, and they both kept walking. Suddenly, Jamie heard the sound of a twig breaking and pointed her wand ahead of her.

"Who is there?" she yelled, "I have a wand!"

"I am coming out," a voice said.

Suddenly the owner of the voice appeared.

"You... you are a Centaur? Aren't you?" Romeo asked, staring at the owner of the voice.

"Yes, I am," the Centaur said.

"Aren't you Firenze?" Jamie asked.

"Yes, I am," the centaur said again, "And you are surely Harry Potter's daughter. You have his eyes."

"Yes, I am Jamie Potter," Jamie said.

"It is nice to meet you," Firenze said, "But what are you doing out here?"

"We were looking for the Crup we were taking care of," Jamie said, "We were with Hagrid, and we got lost. We were taking the Crups back to their cave."

"I know the place," Firenze said, "I can take you... wait, hide!"

Firenze turned quickly and raised his bow. Jamie pointed her wand in the direction of where Firenze was looking.

"It is okay," Firenze said, lowering his bow, "I believe we have found your Crup."

"Snuffles!" Jamie said, at the sight of the Crup. It was laying beside a tree, staring up at Firenze. "It is okay, Snuffles, this is Firenze. He is helping us."

Snuffles looked from Firenze, to Jamie, then jumped in Jamie's arms.

"It's okay, yeah, nice to see you again," Jamie said.

"Well, we better get to the cave," Firenze said, "Hagrid must be worried."

Jamie and Romeo agreed and followed Firenze back to the path. Twenty minutes later, they arrived at the cave. Hagrid and the others were there.

"Oh, Jamie, Romeo!" Hagrid said, "Oh, thank Merlin, I was worryin' about ya!"

"They had lost their Crup, Hagrid," Firenze said, "I found them and their Crup found us."

"Thank you, Firenze," Hagrid said.

"It was a pleasure, Hagrid," Firenze said, "I better get going."

"Thanks again!" Hagrid said, "And say hello to your son, Libra, for me!"

"Will do, Hagrid," Firenze said, before leaving.

"Well, Jamie, Romeo," Hagrid said, "You can say goodbye ter yer Crup, and then we need ter get going. It is getting down right cold out here."

Jamie and Romeo nodded and put Snuffles down with his brothers and sisters, then walked with the rest of the students and Hagrid out of the forest.

**Yeah, Weird way to end the chapter...but this probably didn't have much with the main storyline.**

The next chapter will be in a totally different point-of-view and will have nothing to do with the storyline... but it is just an idea going through my head...

Feedback appreciated...


	19. Rowdy Ravenclaws!

Chapter 19  
Rowdy Ravenclaws!

**A/N: As I have said before, this chapter is just a "filler chapter", so it won't have much to do with the main storyline of "Family Affair". In fact, this chapter will probably have nothing to do with the main storyline. This, is in fact, one of the deleted scenes I was waiting to do, but it popped into my head and wouldn't leave. I won't mind if you just skip this chapter... really. But if you want to read it... enjoy!**

It is a very tough life for you when you are Brooke Longbottom. At least that is what Brooke Longbottom thought.

Brooke Longbottom was a first year Ravenclaw and was not very popular. In fact, her only two friends had other friends that they spent time with. So Brooke's life, since she had been at Hogwarts at least, had been pretty boring. Here it was, the first week of December, and Brooke figured that she would be have been pretty popular by this time. She was, in fact the second daughter of the Herbology Professor, and her older sister, a Gryffindor, was friends with the Head Boy and Girl, also Gryffindors. But no, that didn't get her anywhere. She was in fact, the smartest student in her year, but there weren't many people who liked a brainiac, even though the whole Ravenclaw House was indeed smart. Brooke even tried to make herself not look as smart as she was. She had even tried to talk her own father into giving her a lower grade then one of the other first years, but he replied with a "How can I do that when you are the smartest first year I have in my class!"

Oh yes, Brooke was indeed the twinkle in her father's eye. She was soon to be the middle child of the family though: her mother was pregnant and due any day now. But she knew she would still be the twinkle in her father's eye. Even though this was true, Brooke still envied her older sister, Alice. Alice could do legal magic, which she had proved on Brooke so many times before that summer! Brooke would never forgive her sister for that nice little pig's tail she had on her backside for a whole twenty-four hours before St. Mungo's could remove it. Brooke couldn't believe that Alice didn't get in trouble either. Her mother was so proud that Alice had done "such good magic". No matter how many times she heard it, Brooke knew that Alice was the twinkle of her mother's eye. Alice was, of course, getting a job at the Quibbler when she left Hogwarts. Brooke knew this was why her mother favored Alice more than her.

----------------------

"She's just sitting there all alone," Brooke heard a Ravenclaw say behind her, "Come on, she doesn't look busy. I am sure she would accept."

"No, don't, Marc," another Ravenclaw said, "She would get us in trouble anyway! Her father is the Herbology Professor. And don't forget, her sister is best friends with the Head Couple!"

Brooke rolled her eyes. She was used to people talking about her. She was, in fact, "Daddy's little girl" and everyone knew it. But still, her curiosity got the best of her, and she really wondered what those two first year boys in the corner were talking about. She knew who they were, but wouldn't admit it. It was hard to admit that you notice a person, especially when you fancy them! Marc Corner had indeed caught Brooke's eye, but Brooke wouldn't admit it. Even though he was very smart, almost as smart as her. And he was really popular as well. But he also bragged a lot. He was always talking to his friends about how he would be the youngest Quidditch Player since Harry Potter himself achieved it. He had, of course, failed to be on the team.

Brooke's thoughts left her mind the second she saw Marc walking across the room. In fact (Brooke's heart skipped a beat), he was walking toward her! Brooke stared at her Quibbler magazine, but was concentrating on nothing in it.

"Um... Brooke?" Marc asked.

Brooke peered over her magazine and saw Marc standing in front of her, his wand placed neatly behind his ear.

"Yes, Marc?" Brooke replied.

"Andy and I were wondering if you were busy or anything," Marc said.

"Not really," Brooke said, "Why?"

"Well, we were going to do some exploring around Hogwarts," Marc said, "It is rather cold outside, and we were wanting to stay inside. Well, we were thinking that maybe... if you wanted to come with us..."

"You're going down to the kitchens again, aren't you?" Brooke said, "And you were wondering if I could tag along."

"Down to the kitchens?" Marc asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Marc, don't play dumb with me," Brooke said, "We are Ravenclaws, and we don't play dumb. Besides, I know that you and Andy are always trying to get into those kitchens."

"Okay, you caught me," Marc said, "And if you want to know the truth, we have actually only been down to the kitchens once. We nearly always get caught."

"And you thought I could help you?" Brooke asked.

"Three heads are better than one... or two," Marc said.

"You have never been told the story about Fluffy, have you?" Brooke smirked, "Well, no you wouldn't have heard it. Your family isn't friends with the Weasleys or the Potters."

"Come on, Brooke," Marc said.

"Well... all right," Brooke said.

Marc smiled and waved his wand at Andy. Ten seconds later, Andy walked over to Brooke and Marc. Andy Goldstein, unlike Marc, wasn't very popular, but he hung around the right people... Marc mainly. Brooke had never liked Andy much and had always questioned why a person so dense in the brain could get into Ravenclaw.

"Well?" Andy said.

"She'll do it," Marc said.

"All right," Andy said, "But, Brooke, I swear... if we get into trouble because of you, I am going to find a way to curse you!"

"Oh come on, Andy," said Marc, "We won't get into trouble. Brooke's father is in a staff meeting right now, and the Head Couple is probably off snogging somewhere. And do you really think Filch is going to catch us? Wheezy old bugger is about to fall over in his grave as it is! Besides, he isn't much of a threat now that Mrs. Norris is dead."

"I am still saying..." Andy started.

"I won't get you into trouble, Goldielocks," Brooke said.

Andy's eyes narrowed. Brooke knew Andy didn't like to be called Goldielocks, but still did it anyway.

"Come on, let's go," Marc said.

Brooke, Marc and Andy left the West Tower, where Ravenclaw House was located, and headed down the stairs.

"I am curious," Brooke said, as she leapt down the stairs with Marc and Andy, "Why are you guys still hungry? We just had breakfast two hours ago..."

"We don't really want to go down there just for the food, Brooke," said Marc, "It is boring in the Common Room and the pure thrill of doing something like this excites me. I am an active person. I can't play Quidditch, so I have to do something that entertains me."

"What about your homework?" Brooke asked, "Or Wizard's Chess?"

"I finish my work too quickly," Marc said, "And Wizard's Chess is too boring. I checkmate my opponent in seconds. But who wouldn't with brains like mine!"

Andy coughed, but Brooke swore she heard him say "Showoff!"

"Besides, haven't you ever wanted to meet the house elves, Brooke?" Marc asked.

"Well... yeah," Brooke said.

"You have to meet Dobby and Winky," Andy said, "They are a hoot! Especially Winky. It is so funny seeing a drunk house elf!"

"Andy, you are so mean!" Marc said.

"Sorry, Marc," Andy said, "Forgot you were interested in the S.P.E.W division."

"S.P.E.W Division? Really?" Brooke said.

"Yeah, Marc loves those little guys," Andy said.

"I just think they need higher wages," Marc said, "Even with the seven Galleon minimum wage, elves still don't get enough. Plus they need to be able to have better clothes. Have you seen those bed sheets? They are gross!"

"I think it is sweet that you like the S.P.E.W Division, Marc," Brooke said.

"Really?" Marc said.

Andy rolled his eyes and walked past them to the final set of stairs.

"Come on, you two," he said, "I want to see if Winky is drunk yet!"

"Andy!" Marc yelled.

"Hush, you will get us caught!" Andy said, "Besides, I was joking."

Marc rolled his eyes, and he and Brooke followed Andy down to the kitchens. Andy tickled the pear and a knob appeared. He opened the door and walked into the kitchens, followed by Brooke and Marc. Brooke couldn't believe her eyes. There were at least twenty house elves working on the food for the upcoming lunch.

"Oh, Mr. Corner, Mr. Goldstein, you have come back," a house elf said, walking over to Marc and Andy and hugging them around the knees, "Dobby is pleased. Dobby has missed you! Oh, and who is this? Dobby has never seen this girl before."

"Dobby, this is Brooke Longbottom," Marc said.

"Longbottom?" Dobby said, "Oh! Neville Longbottom's daughter! Dobby is pleased to meet you, Miss."

"Thanks... Dobby, is it?" Brooke said, "I have heard stuff about you."

"Oh, Dobby is blushing, Miss," Dobby said.

"Where is Winky, Dobby?" Marc asked.

"Oh, Dobby must not say," Dobby said.

"Dobby, we have already talked about this," Marc said, "You don't need to be ashamed of Winky."

"But, sirs, Dobby must be ashamed," Dobby said, "Winky has drunken nearly half the supply of Dobby's and the other house elves' boxes of Butterbeer. Dobby is afraid there won't be many left for the Sirs and Misses for their feasts!"

"Oh, then you must talk to Winky," Andy said, "We can't go without butterbeer!"

"Dobby feels that Winky won't listen to Dobby anymore, sirs and miss," said Dobby, balling his fist into his pillowcase, "Misstress McGonagall is threatening to take the butterbeer away! Dobby is afraid Mistress might do it too."

"Where is Winky, Dobby?" Marc asked.

"Over next to the cupboard, sir," Dobby said, pointing to Winky.

"Oh, dear," Brooke said, putting a hand over her mouth.

It was quite a sight. Winky the house elf was swaying back and forth, a half-empty bottle of butterbeer in her hand. Winky's eyelids and ears were drooping, and Brooke could hear a faint "hic!" coming from across the room.

"Winky, you know better than that!" Marc said, walking over to the drunken house-elf, "Why do you continue to do this to yourself?"

"Oh, please, sirs," Dobby said, "Sirs musn't be ashamed of Winky. Winky has been like this for years."

"But it is going to kill her!" Brooke said, walking over to Winky, "Come on, Winky..."

"Huh... hic!... no!" Winky yelled, "You... is... not... hic!... Winky's... hic!... mas... hic!...ter!"

Brooke felt a shock and hopped back.

"What was that!" Brooke said, "It felt like a shock!"

"Bad, Bad Winky!" Dobby said, "Winky should know not to use Elf Magic on Misses and Sirs!"

Winky smiled and fell over. A second later, Brooke heard a snore.

"Oh, Dobby is sorry for Winky's behavior, sirs and misses," Dobby said, "Most of the time, Dobby and the other house elves just ignore Winky. Dobby is used to it. Dobby has tried and tried over the years, but Dobby can't do nothing about Winky... erm, maybe sirs and miss should go... Dobby is ashamed that you see Winky like this. Oh, but of course take some food with you! No Butterbeer of course... running out."

Dobby threw a spare tablecloth over Winky and helped the house-elves give some creamcakes and pies to Brooke, Marc and Andy. A minute later, Brooke left with Marc and Andy. They headed back toward the seventh floor and thought they were safe when they heard a voice.

"What is it, my sweet?" the voice said, "Do you hear voices?"

"Phew, it is just Filch," Marc said, "He is talking to his dead cat again, come on."

Brooke, Marc and Andy reached the Ravenclaw Common Room, said the password (Brain Buddies!) and walked into the room.

"You know, Longbottom," Marc said, "That was actually rather fun. I had a fun time."

"Uh, thank you, Marc," Brooke said, blushing.

"We will have to do it again," Marc said, walking off.

"Uh, yeah... again," Brooke said.

Brooke smiled and walked over to the couch next to the fireplace. It had been a rather fun adventure. And she got to spend time with Marc. It was actually beginning to be fun again at Hogwarts, Brooke thought, laying down on the couch.

**See, nothing really to do with the main storyline... but it was roaming through my head and I had to get it out. Besides, it showed a bit of the life of Brooke Longbottom (Alice Longbottom's sister, in case you didn't know). Brooke will be in the story more... maybe during Christmas Break...**

Would love Feedback... I wanna know who actually read this chapter


	20. Hours Before The Ball

Chapter 20  
Hours Before the Ball

It was finally Saturday, and the day of the Yule Ball. Jamie was seen laying in bed looking up at the ceiling of her four-poster bed, her mind racing with thoughts. Here they were, a little over twelve hours before the Yule Ball, and secret relationship between Jamie and Romeo was still hidden from Jamie's friends... especially Jane. Jamie opened her curtains a little, and saw Jane still asleep in her own bed.

It was going to be really hard, but Jamie knew she was going to have to tell Jane about her relationship with Romeo. Would it come as a shock... or would Jane take it really well? And would Jane get mad about Jamie keeping this from her for so long? These questions raced through Jamie's mind, but she knew they would be answered soon. Jamie was going to the Ball with Romeo, there was no question about that. The secret Jamie and Romeo had been keeping from everybody, and only a few people had known, was going to come out to the whole school in a little over twelve hours. What would Jane's reaction be? What would her other friends' reactions be? It was common knowledge that Jamie's own brother, James, didn't like Romeo very well, but Jamie couldn't blame him. All those times Romeo had bugged Jamie and her friends in the past years. But would James get over it, just as easy as Jamie had?

Jamie continued to stare up at the ceiling of her four-poster bed. Suddenly, she heard movement coming from Jane's bed, and heard Jane yawning.

"Morning, Jane," Jamie said, pulling back her curtain.

"How... how long have you been up?" Jane asked, trying to stifle a yawn.

"Oh, just a few minutes," Jamie said, "I have just been doing some thinking."

"I didn't get to sleep until late," Jane said, "I was trying to decide what to wear tonight. Can you believe we aren't able to go to Hogsmeade? I bet I could find a nice dress down there. Instead, I have to wear that dress I used last year. I am lucky it still fits."

"Yeah..." Jamie said.

"What are you going to wear?" Jane asked.

"I will find something," Jamie said.

"You are going to be quite lonely without a date, Jamie," said Jane, opening her trunk and looking through it, "You know that?"

Jamie inhaled. The time had finally come. She had to do it now. Maybe if she did it quickly?

"Yeah, Jane, about that," Jamie said.

"About what?" Jane asked, peering over the lid of her trunk.

"A Date for the ball," Jamie said, "I have a date."

"Really? That is great!" Jane said, "Who is it? That one Beater... uh, Dawes? I know he is a year younger than you... but... he was looking for someone to go with."

"No, no..." Jamie said, "It's Romeo Malfoy."

"Ha... ha..." Jane said, rolling her eyes, "Jamie, I swear, if you were going to lie, you could have picked a better name to lie about."

Jamie rolled her eyes.

"You... are lying?" Jane asked, "Right?"

Jamie said nothing.

"You aren't lying," Jane said, "I know when you are lying. You are going with Romeo? Jamie, he is a Malfoy! Wh-when did this happen? Wait, don't answer that. It was when we were taking those Crups to their cave... right? I have been noticing that you have been hanging around him a lot since then."

"It was before that..." Jamie said.

"What?" Jane asked.

"Jane, do you remember when I was in the hospital because I crashed my broom?" Jamie asked.

"Yeah, but that was a couple weeks after term began," Jane said, "That was quite some time ago."

"Romeo told me that he saved me," Jamie said, "And then I guess he got the courage to ask me out, and I said yes. We've... we have been dating since then."

"And you have been keeping this from me for over three months!" Jane asked, slamming the lid of her trunk shut, "I am your cousin, why didn't you tell me?"

"It wasn't really a thing we wanted to tell somebody, Jane!" Jamie said, "The Potters and Malfoys are supposed to hate each other."

"And you love Romeo?" Jane said, "Jeez, why didn't I see this before? I should have known. I mean... all those times you were acting really strange. And then when I always noticed you looking at Romeo. Usually you were trying to avoid him, but now..."

"You actually nearly caught us twice, Jane," Jamie said.

"What?" Jane asked.

"On our dates," Jamie asked, "The first time, we were in the Room of Requirement, and I just happened to see you and Joey coming toward the room."

"It was you who had that room so nicely decorated!" Jane said.

"Yeah," Jamie said, "Actually Romeo thought of how the room should look, then the room just appeared like that."

"Wait... you said twice," Jane said, "What was the other time?"

"Hogsmeade," Jamie said.

"No, that is impossible," Jane said, "I was with you all day. We went to the Hog's Head... and that new Book shop..."

"No, you were with Uncle Fred," Jamie said.

"Please, I would have known if I was with a jokester like him," Jane said, "Besides, it was you... in the flesh!"

"No, it was Fred using a Polyjuice Pendant," Jamie said, "A new invention."

"I don't believe this one bit," Jane said, "My cousin is going out with Romeo Malfoy. Malfoy? The boy we have hated for so long... and now you are in love with him?"

"I guess you could say that," Jamie said.

"Your father isn't going to take this very well," Jane said.

"I don't care..." Jamie said.

"Well, I do care, Jamie!" Jane said, "We might be cousins, but we have also been best friends for who knows how long! We are supposed to tell each other these things... not keep them hidden inside."

"Jane..." Jamie began.

"Don't," Jane said, raising her hand to stop Jamie, "Don't you even talk to me."

Jane shut her curtain so fast it ripped.

"Ugh!" Jane said, taking her wand from under her pillow and pointing at the torn fabric, "Reparo!"

The curtains mended themselves and hung back up around the bed. Jane shut them. Jamie rolled her eyes and laid back down on her bed. A few minutes later, the curtains around Jane's bed opened again and Jane jumped out of bed fully dressed and headed for the door. Jane opened the door, walked out and slammed it. Meanwhile, to Jamie's left, Alice had woken up.

"What was that all about?" Alice asked, looking from the door, to Jamie.

"Nothing," Jamie said, sighing deeply, "Nothing... at... all."

----------------------------------

Jamie wasn't sure if Jane would talk to her ever again. Jamie couldn't blame Jane though. It had been a pretty big lie Jamie was keeping from her. But for Jane to ignore Jamie all together? Jane had never done that before.

Jamie had come down to the Great Hall thirty minutes after Jane had left the room. At the first sight of Jamie, Jane got up and walked out of the Great Hall. Joseph, who had been sitting next to Jane, when Jamie had arrived, was looking all surprised.

"Was it something I said, you reckon?" Joseph asked Jamie.

"No, it was something I said," Jamie said.

"Well, it must have been something bad," Joseph said, "I was asking Jane if she was looking forward to the Ball tonight, and she didn't reply. Do you think she still wants to go with me?"

"You are not her problem, Joseph, don't worry," Jamie said, sitting down and taking a few pieces of bacon.

"What did you do that made her so mad?" Joseph asked.

"I told her I had a date to the Yule Ball," Jamie said.

"Really? Who?" Joseph said.

"Sorry, you will have to wait and find out tonight," Jamie said, "That is what I should have told Jane anyway. But no, she wanted to know, and I had to tell her."

"Well, I can't say anything, Jamie," said Joseph, "Because I don't know what you are talking about. I guess I will just have to wait until tonight."

"Yeah, I guess..." Jamie said.

Jamie looked towards the entrance of the hall. James and Richie walked in, followed by Romeo a few seconds later. James looked as if he was talking to Romeo, but a second later, Romeo walked off. James and Richie walked over to where Jamie and Joey were sitting.

"I am telling you, Richie," James said, "He is not acting like himself. Usually he has something down right nasty to say to me."

"Who are you two talking about?" Jamie asked.

"Romeo Malfoy," James said, "Usually he greets me with a 'Hey Pottymouth' or something like that. But he's changed. It is like he's turned soft or something. You don't think he has a date to the ball tonight, do you?"

"Are you kidding, James?" Richie said, "Malfoy... with a date to the ball? Have you seen him with anyone since Jasmine booted him out of her life? Jamie could get a date before Malfoy did."

"Jamie has a date already, Richie," Joseph said.

"Really?" Richie said, looking from Joseph to Jamie, "Who?"

"She won't tell," Joseph said, "She didn't even tell me."

"Oh, but I bet you can tell your brother," James said, sitting down, "Right?"

"Or your cousin?" Richie said.

"No thanks," Jamie said, "I don't need another relative of mine getting mad at me."

"What?" James said.

"Jane and Jamie had a row," Joseph said.

"Over what?" James asked Jamie, "Your date to the Yule Ball? Oh, now I really want to know who it is. Come on..."

"You will find out tonight," Jamie said simply.

Jamie ate quickly and walked out of the Great Hall. Apparently Romeo had seen her, because he spoke up just when Jamie was reaching the stairs.

"Hey, Jamie!" Romeo said, "Ready for our date tonight?"

"More like am I ready for the whole school to know about us?" Jamie said, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, Jamie, you aren't still going on about that," Romeo said, "Come on... after tonight, we can be open about this. We don't have to hide in dark closets or lavatories anymore. Besides, who is going to care?"

"My cousins," Jamie said, "And my brother... and Joseph as well."

"Oh come on..." Romeo said.

"Jamie, Jane knows about us!" Jamie said, "She basically made me tell her. She was going on about how I didn't have a date for the Ball... and... and now she doesn't want to speak to me!"

Jamie sat down on the stairs and put her hands over her face.

"I am losing my friends because of this," Jamie said, "It is stupid."

"It isn't stupid," Romeo said.

"Romeo, Jane and I have been best friends just about as along as we been cousins!" Jamie said, "And that had been since birth. And now, she isn't talking to me."

"Jamie, come on," Romeo began.

"I am going back to the Common Room," Jamie said, standing up, "I... I will see you tonight."

"Seven-thirty?" Romeo asked, as Jamie walked up the stairs.

"Sometime around then, yeah," Jamie said, not looking back at Romeo.

Jamie walked up the stairs and headed for the Gryffindor Common Room. Twenty minutes later, she arrived and said the password ("Butterbeer!") and walked into the Common Room. Jane was sitting by the fire with her arms crossed.

"Jane..." Jamie said.

Jane didn't respond.

"Listen, Jane!" Jamie said, "I have been looking forward to this night for some time now. And no one is going to ruin it for me... not even you. I love Romeo and he loves me. We are going together tonight and no one is stopping us."

Still no response. Jamie rolled her eyes and walked to the stairs. She looked back at Jane.

"And if you still want to have a date tonight," she said, "You shouldn't take your anger out on Joseph!"

Jamie turned and headed up the stairs. Ignoring the sobs coming from behind her, she continued up the stairs and walked into her dormitory.

--------------------------------------------------

**Well, I guess you could call it a cliff-hanger... I dunno. This chapter was getting too long to add the Yule Ball too it. But you guessed it, it is coming up next. Will it turn into the Yule Brawl? Gotta wait and see!**

Feedback is greatly appreciated... as always!


	21. The Yule Ball

Chapter 21  
The Yule Ball

"Oh, I hope I look okay," Jamie said, looking at herself in the mirror, "This dress is so last year..."

It was six-forty... about thirty minutes before Jamie had decided that it would be the best time to leave. The walk down to the Great Hall would take twenty minutes itself. Jamie knew she had to be careful with the dress. She didn't want it to tear and ruin her night.

Jamie looked at her dress to see if everything was right. The dress was completely white, and Jamie had matching heels on as well.

"Oh, something is definitely missing here..." Jamie said, twirling in a circle and looking at her reflection.

The door opened and Alice walked in, humming to herself. She had already gotten dressed and was looking very nice. Alice was wearing a dress that was completely pink. Her usual braided hair was now straight and down her back.

"Oh, hey Jamie!" Alice said, finally noticing her, "Wow, that dress looks gorgeous."

"You look nice too, Alice," Jamie said, looking at the reflection of Alice through the mirror.

"Thanks, but I am not finished yet," said Alice opening her trunk, "Where are they? I just put them down... aha! Found them."

Jamie saw Alice take out two corkscrew ear rings from the trunk.

"You want to wear those?" Jamie asked.

"What?" Alice said, looking offended, "They are my lucky ear rings. Besides, I have to look nice for tonight. I want to impress my date, you know."

"Oh, you have a date?" Jamie asked, "Who is the lucky boy?"

"Dawes," Alice said, putting her ear rings on, and looking in the mirror, "He said he was looking for someone to go with. We may be a year apart, but he is really sweet. He is so much different then when you see him on the Pitch."

"Well, I am really happy for you," said Jamie.

"Thanks," Alice said, heading for the door. She opened the door and looked back at Jamie, "Uh, Jamie... have you seen Jane around?"

"No..." Jamie said, rolling her eyes, "Why?"

"Well, you would think she would be getting ready for the Ball, wouldn't you?" Alice asked, "But I haven't seen her for a few hours."

"Maybe she is with Joey," Jamie said, looking at her reflection again.

"No, Joey said he hadn't seen her for a couple of hours," Alice said, "He said he was beginning to wonder if Jane was even interested in going to the ball. Well, if you see her, tell her Joey and I are looking for her."

Jamie nodded. Alice walked out of the room and shut the door. Jamie continued to look into the reflection, but was looking at nothing. Was that what she felt like... nothing? A few hours ago, she had yelled at Jane, who had been her best friend for years, and didn't even care when she heard Jane crying. And now it seemed like Jane wasn't going to even go to the ball.

"Oh, honey," a voice from the mirror said, "Don't worry about how you look. Remember, I see you every day. I think you look grand. Now go on. Quit staring at me and go have fun!"

Jamie smiled and twirled once again, giving herself a final look. When she told herself that she looked fine, she pocketed her wand and walked out of the Dormitory.

----------------------------------------

Twenty minutes later, Jamie began to hear the sound of chatter. She reached the steps and realized that the students were just beginning to into the Great Hall. Jamie looked at the bottom of the steps, where Romeo was waiting. Jamie smirked when she saw his jaw drop. She carefully walked down the stairs to Romeo, so that she wouldn't trip. As she reached the bottom step, she offered her hand, which Romeo kissed.

"Holy Merlin, you look gorgeous," Romeo said.

"Do I?" Jamie asked, "I don't really like to wear dresses. They are just... not me."

"Well, if every one of the dresses you own look like this," Romeo said, "You just might have to start wearing them."

Jamie blushed.

"Oh, I have something for you," Romeo said, "Give me your wand arm."

Jamie offered her left arm, and Romeo put a corsage on Jamie's wrist. A red rose was attached to it.

"I was going to choose white, but I knew red was your favorite color," Romeo said.

"It is wonderful," Jamie said.

Romeo took her hand and they walked into the Great Hall. The Hall was beautiful. It had certainly changed from the Great Hall they were usually in for feasts. The Hall had been decorated in complete white, except for the trees which were green and decorated with ornaments and live pixies.

"Hagrid must have had a hard time bringing those things in," Romeo said, "They look like they weigh a ton."

"Uh-huh," Jamie said.

Jamie might have been listening, but she was concentrating on the people around her. How would people react when they saw Jamie with Romeo? It was of course common knowledge that the Potters hated the Malfoys, and the whole school knew it.

"Come on," Romeo said, "I see an empty table. Let's go sit down."

Romeo led Jamie to an empty table in the corner and they both sat down.

"Stay here, Jamie," Romeo said, "I am going to get us a couple drinks. What do you want?"

"Butterbeer is fine," Jamie said.

"All right," said Romeo, "I wil be right back."

Jamie watched Romeo walk through the crowd. She then noticed Joseph, who was alone. Joseph spotted Jamie and walked over to her.

"Man, I thought Jane would be with you," Joseph said, sitting down, "Where in Merlin's world is she?"

"Oh she will be here, Joey," Jamie said, "Don't worry."

"I hope you are right," Joseph said, "Hey... speaking of missing dates. I thought you said you had a date. Where is he?"

"Getting drinks," Jamie said.

"What? Where?" Joseph said, looking over at the refreshment table, "All I see is..."

Joseph's jaw dropped.

"Romeo... Malfoy," he said, "Jamie... is this a joke?"

"Funny, Jane said that too," Jamie said.

Joseph went silent. A minute later Romeo walked back over to Jamie and sat next to her.

"Here you go, Jamie. One butterbeer," Romeo said, handing Jamie the butterbeer. He then looked up and noticed Joseph was sitting with them, "Well, hey Lupin. Where is the Head Girl?"

"I don't really know," Joseph said, "So... it is you, huh?"

Romeo looked from Joseph to Jamie, then back to Joseph. "Yeah, I guess it is me," he said.

"How long has... this... been going on?" Joseph asked.

"A little over three months," Jamie said.

"So this is the reason Jane is so mad at you?" Joseph asked.

"Yeah, it is," a voice said behind Jamie.

Jamie turned around. Jane was standing there, dressed in a light blue gown and was wearing matching heels.

"Oh, finally!" Joseph said, getting up and walking over to Jane, "Where have you been?"

"I got permission from McGonagall to go down to Hogsmeade," said Jane, "I didn't want an old dress to ruin my night. Do you like it?"

"It is great," Joseph said.

"Thanks," Jane said, "Well, let's go find a table. It is getting too crowded over here."

Joseph looked like he was about to talk, but Jane put her hands on her hips.

"Oh... all right," Joseph said.

Jamie watched as Jane and Joseph walked off.

"Jamie, hey..." Romeo said, "Don't let your cousin ruin this night for you."

"She is not the only person I am worried about, Romeo," Jamie said, "I am worried about... oh, no."

"Jamie, what..." Romeo began. He then caught sight of what Jamie was looking at.

James and Richie had walked into the Great Hall. And it was apparent to Jamie that they were looking for her. Suddenly, Jamie was wishing she had her invisibility cloak with her. And she knew she was going to need it. Jamie looked the other way, hoping James and Richie wouldn't see her.

"Oh, what does your brother want?" Romeo said, "He's coming this way... and your cousin is with him."

"James, that is not Jamie," Jamie heard Richie say, "That is... holy Merlin."

Jamie sighed heavily, turned around and faced Richie and James.

"Hi guys," she said.

"You... you and Malfoy?" James sputtered, "When?... why?... how?"

"I believe you left out 'where and what', Potter," Romeo said.

"Romeo, be nice," Jamie said.

"You came to the Yule Ball with Romeo Malfoy?" James said.

"Who else would she come with?" Romeo said, "I am her boyfriend. Come on, Jamie. Let's go outside. It is stuffy in here. The music won't start for a few minutes anyway."

Romeo took Jamie's hand and they walked away from Richie and James, who still had their jaws dropped.

"I can't believe your brother, Jamie," Romeo said as he led her outside the front door of the castle, "I mean... who is he complaining about me? I didn't see him... or Richie... coming with dates. You know, I am actually starting to see why you didn't want to tell anyone. Joseph looks like he might be okay with us, but your cousins and brother..."

Jamie leaned over to Romeo and kissed him.

"What was that for?" Romeo asked after he backed away, "Don't get me wrong... it was nice."

"Romeo, you still remember that promise you made me keep?" Jamie asked.

"Of course," said Romeo.

"Well, now it is your turn to promise me something," Jamie said, "Whatever happens tonight... and I mean, whatever happens tonight, I want you to promise me that it won't affect our relationship. I know my friends aren't the nicest people when it comes to you. But when it comes to you, I don't care about them."

"Don't say that, Jamie," Romeo said, "They are your friends."

"They may be my friends," Jamie said, "But they are still the same people who has spent most of their Hogwarts life making fun of you."

"Sounds like someone I know," said Romeo.

"I had stopped if you don't remember," Jamie said, "I even stopped before we got together. Look, these past few months have been the most wonderful months of my life. All this time I thought you were some snobby kid who was just like his father, and now I know I am wrong. And... I apologize."

"You don't have to apologize, Jamie," Romeo said.

"You still haven't made the promise to me, Romeo," Jamie said, "Whatever happens tonight..."

"Don't worry, Jamie," Romeo said, "You worry too much."

"Romeo..." Jamie said.

"I promise, Jamie," Romeo said.

Jamie smiled and kissed him. As they kissed, Celestina Warbeck's voice could be heard from inside the Great Hall.

"Oh," Romeo said, looking up, "Let's go in... the music is starting."

Romeo grabbed Jamie by the hand and took her back into the castle. They made their way into the Great Hall, where students were beginning to dance.

"So, do you dance?" Jamie asked.

"A little," Romeo said, leading Jamie out to the middle of the floor, "You know, you never told me you were a dancer. I wouldn't have expected that."

"I may be my father's daughter," Jamie said, "But I didn't inherit his two left feet... oh, oh! I love this song. It is one of my Mum's favorite songs. Come on."

Jamie got closer to Romeo and put her arms around his neck. Romeo smirked and grabbed Jamie around the waist.

"You don't care if people stare at us?" Romeo asked.

"I don't care what people think anymore," said Jamie, leaning her head against Romeo's chest, "In fact... in my mind we are the only two here... besides Celestina of course."

"Of course," Romeo said.

-----------------------------------------

Romeo and Jamie had danced for a few songs, but after a while, they were both getting tired.

"So what are you doing during break, Romeo?" Jamie said, as they sat down at one of the tables.

"Oh, the usual," Romeo said, "Sitting at home on the couch with my mother. She will be talking to herself wondering where my father is. And I will be looking at the empty Christmas tree wondering when we will put the ornaments up. Same thing... different year."

"Oh, that is awful!" Jamie said.

"I am used to it," Romeo said, "What are you going to do?"

"My father and grandfather always has these big Christmas parties," said Jamie, "All the old members of the Order will be there, those who are still alive of course. My whole family will be there... except maybe Uncle Percy. He has only come for Christmas once or twice. He hasn't come back since my grandfather was made Minister of Magic."

Jamie saw the look on Romeo's face. It looked as if he was still looking through his old memories of bad Christmases.

"Oh but the parties aren't that fun," Jamie said, "Two out of three times, my Dad has to leave and bring some criminal in to the Ministry or something. And my grandfather is always meeting with Muggles, trying to get new ways to make his plans work. So I never see him much..."

"It sounds good to me," Romeo said.

"Maybe I could find some way to visit you," Jamie said, "I am not spending Christmas Break without seeing you, you know."

"Oh yeah," Romeo said, "And how are you going to achieve that? Your father doesn't know about us being together. You can't just tell him you are going to go and visit the offspring of his enemy."

"I will find some way," Jamie said.

"Good," Romeo said, leaning in and kissing Jamie.

After the Ball, Jamie said goodbye to Romeo and walked up the stairs. When she reached the Gryffindor Common Room, she ignored the few stares that were coming from her Richie and James and walked up to her dormitory. The moment she walked in, she saw that Jane was laying in her bed, staring at the top of it.

"Oh, Alice isn't back?" Jamie said, noticing that herself and Jane were the only ones in the room.

"She won't be back," Jane said, "She and her father went home early. Her mother went into an early labor."

"Really?" Jamie asked.

"Yeah, but I don't know anymore," Jane said, "Alice was dancing with Dawes, and I heard her father tell her about her mother. Alice said goodbye to Dawes and left the Ball."

"I guess I didn't notice," Jamie said.

"No, you wouldn't have, would you?" Jane said, "You were too busy talking with Malfoy."

"Look, if you don't like me being with Romeo, tell me," Jamie said.

"I don't care who you are with, Jamie," Jane said, "I just wish you would have told me earlier. I would have liked to have known."

"You of all people should know why Romeo and I were keeping this secret from everyone," Jamie said.

Jamie walked over to her bed and took her pajamas from her bedside cupboard. She climbed into bed and closed the curtains.

"Look, if this has anything to do with Uncle Harry..." Jamie heard Jane say.

"It has everything to do with my father, Jane," Jamie said, "Do you realize how he would act if he found out that his daughter was dating the son of his enemy!"

"Oh... that didn't cross my mind," Jane said.

"Well it has been going through my mind every day, Jane," Jamie said, opening the curtains, "Romeo is scared that I am going to get hurt because of his father. He made me promise that I would stay with my father if he heard anything about his."

"You mean he would want you to run away from Hogwarts?" Jane asked, "Jamie..."

"Look, it is something I will have to deal with if it comes," Jamie said, "And if you say that I should just stay away from Romeo for my own safety, you have another thing coming!"

"I wasn't going to say anything like that," Jane said.

"Good," Jamie said, shutting the curtains.

"But your father might say something different," Jane said.

Jamie said nothing. She didn't need Jane to have said that to realize it. Jamie changed into her pajamas, magically hung up her dress and laid her head down on her pillow. If she had to face her father with this problem, then she would. But she knew it would be a while before that time would come.

**Alot to think about in this chapter... this chapter pretty much starts the point where every thing falls from here... if you are smart enough to know what that means, you will know what could be coming. But it won't come very soon... if it comes.**

The start of Christmas Break at Grimmauld Place (and maybe St. Mungo's) is coming up! More characters from the Harry Potter Books coming into the story... yay!

Do I have to say it? Okay, I will... Feedback greatly appreciated


	22. The Train Ride Home

Chapter 22  
The Train Ride Home

It was Sunday and finally the day that the students would be going home for Christmas Break. At noon, the students boarded the Hogwarts Express, and the train began to leave for London.

"I hope James isn't mad at me," Jamie said to Romeo, Jane and Joseph, as they sat down in an empty compartment, "He hasn't talked to me since last night at the dance. I feel kind of bad... we just left him and Richie, then walked off."

"Jamie, he is your brother," Jane said, "It is going to take him a little time to cope with the fact that you are going out with Romeo. Remember, even before James went to Hogwarts, he knew about Romeo... and well, he didn't like him then. No offense, Romeo."

"I completely understand why James doesn't like me," Romeo said, "And I can deal with it. I understand he grew up hearing stories about my father."

"Yes, but you are nothing like your father, Romeo," Jamie said.

"James doesn't know that," Romeo said, "Ever since he met me, we have had these feuds and arguments, even maybe a stupid little duel or two. I knew our past history would affect our future lives. I just didn't think that it would happen this quickly."

"Hey," Jamie said, "Look at it from James' point-of-view. Everytime you walk by him, or your name is even discussed, he behaves like a angry cat with its back arched. My father has been a big influence on James. I mean, my brother could tell you stories about my father that I didn't know. That is just how much he respects my father and everything he did when he was our age. And because of this influence, he believes that everything concerning the Malfoys must be something bad. I think he just needs to sit down with you and see that he is wrong."

"I don't think that will be anytime soon," Romeo said.

"Then there is the fact that we were complete rivals ever since we met each other, Romeo," Jamie said, "I still remember the first time I saw you. You had just been sorted into Slytherin and had this smirk on your face."

"It was a proud moment in my life, Jamie," Romeo said, "Of course, there was the fact that I was still being brain-washed by my father and was completely believing his 'Slytherin is the start of a fine future' theory."

"A fine future with the Death Eaters," said Joseph, "At least that is probably what the Slytherin motto was when he was in Hogwarts."

"Yeah," said Romeo.

"You can ask any of my friends," Jamie said, "Jane and Joseph will tell you. We were dreading every class with the Slytherins because of the fact that you were in them. But again, this was when we were younger and..."

"Foolish?" Romeo said.

"Well, look at it this way," said Jamie, "If someone told you a year ago today, that I would be your girlfriend... would you believe it?"

"No, I wouldn't," Romeo said, "I mean, I also grew up with believing that the whole Potter family was scum. I lived with my father so many years and he told me stories of what it was like when he was a teen-ager and when the Second War was going on. It took me a few years to learn that most of what he told me was lies. My father is still a firm believer of the Dark Arts, even though those days are over."

"Do you think your father can change his ways?" Jamie asked.

"I want him to change his ways and see that he is wrong," said Romeo, "But he is too busy living in the past. He respected my grandfather and his ways of living. And just imagine being taught the ways of the Dark Arts and thinking that being a follower of Voldemort would get you what you wanted. My own father was brainwashed by Voldemort himself. He thinks Voldemort was doing the right thing, and now he feels he needs to avenge him, as well as my grandfather. He is going to do everything he can to avenge them, and I know it will kill him in the end."

Romeo looked out the window at the passing scenery. A few seconds later he looked back at Jamie.

"And I don't really care what happens to him," Romeo said, his voice breaking, "I mean... am I right to think that? He is my father..."

"Romeo, it is okay," Jamie said, beginning to put her arm around him.

Romeo backed off and stood up quickly. "I... I need to do some thinking," he said, "I will talk to you later."

Romeo opened the compartment door, walked out and slid it shut. As he disappeared, Jamie stood up.

"No, don't follow him," Joseph said, "He needs some time alone to think."

Jamie sighed and sat back down.

"I can see why he wanted you to keep that promise," Jane said, "He might not admit it, but he is scared of his father."

"Romeo isn't..." Jamie began.

"He is scared, Jamie," Jane interrupted, "I can see it in his eyes. He is more scared for you then anything. Just talking about his father scares him. He knows that if his father did anything serious, he wouldn't be able to protect you. I completely understand now. He does care for you, Jamie. And he doesn't care what anyone else says about it."

Tears started to fall down Jamie's cheeks. She stared out the window, then looked over at the compartment door.

"I need to go to him," she said.

"Jamie..." Joseph said.

"No!" Jamie said, raising her hand to silence Joseph, "I need to talk to him."

She stood up and walked over to the door. She opened it, walked out and slid the door shut. Jamie walked down the narrow hallway and spotted Romeo sitting in a chair. Jamie walked over to him and sat down. Romeo stared at her for a second, and for the first time in a while, Jamie saw a tear falling down his cheek.

"I... I don't know what to do," he said.

"Hey... don't worry," Jamie said, "It will be fine."

"It won't be fine, Jamie!" Romeo said, "Don't you get it? I read the Prophet everyday looking for my father's name. Hasn't your father told you? The Ministry can't find my father. My father doesn't want to be found! He knows the Dark Arts, Jamie. He is one of the few left alive who has mastered the Dark Arts. Do you know what will happen if he isn't locked up? Everything we read about in the history books will happen again."

"The Ministry wouldn't let that happen, Romeo," said Jamie, "My father wouldn't let that happen. He became an Auror to make sure it wouldn't happen."

Romeo said nothing. Jamie leaned over and hugged him.

"Hey... hey," Jamie said, "I know I am right, Romeo. I know my father..."

Romeo backed up and looked at Jamie. "Yeah, well... I know my father too," he said.

"Come on," said Jamie, "Let's go back to the compartment. It's much nicer in there."

Romeo nodded and stood up with Jamie, and they both headed to the compartment.

-----------------------------

Three hours later, the Hogwarts Express arrived at its destination in London. Jamie said goodbye to Romeo and walked out onto the platform. She spotted her father and walked over to him.

"Dad?" Jamie asked, "Why aren't you at work? I thought Mum was going to pick us up."

"I need to talk to Romeo Malfoy," Harry said, "Have you seen him?"

"I saw him on the train," Jamie said, "Why?"

"We need to find him," Harry said, looking around, "Ah, there he is. Stay here and wait for your brother, Jamie."

But Jamie's curiosity over-powered her, and she followed her father towards Romeo. What did her father want to talk to Romeo about? Did he know about their relationship?

"Romeo, can I talk to you, please?" Harry said, when he and Jamie reached Romeo.

"Uh... sure, Mr. Potter" Romeo said, looking from Harry to Jamie, "What is going on?"

"Romeo, I am afraid I have some bad news," Harry said, "Early this morning, the Dark Mark appeared for the first time in nearly eighteen years."

"The Dark Mark?" Romeo said, looking back to Harry, "But..."

"I am not finished," Harry said, "It appeared over your house."

"My house?" Romeo said, "Malfoy Mansion?"

"When we arrived, your mother was found laying on the livingroom floor," Harry said, "I am sorry, Romeo... your mother is dead."

----------------------------------------------

**Cliffhanger! Bit of a short chapter as well...**

Feedback welcomed...


	23. Return of the Phoenix

Chapter 23  
The Return of the Phoenix

**A/N: All right, this story just became more than just a romance tale. It has gotten much more serious than that. I have decided to make it a little more interesting and I hope you will still enjoy it. Oh, and if you are confused about the title of this chapter, I will give you a clue. It has nothing to do with Fawkes! Anyway, I am talking too much... read on and enjoy!**

Romeo looked like he was about to faint. Jamie helped him over to the nearest bench and sat down beside him.

"Dead?" Romeo asked in a tone that Jamie had never heard from him.

"I am sorry, Romeo," Harry said again.

"Who did it?" Romeo said, "It was my father, wasn't it?"

"We don't know yet," Harry said.

"Dad?" said a voice behind Harry.

Harry and Jamie looked up. James was standing with Richie, Jane and Joseph.

"What is going on?" James said.

"Romeo's mother was found murdered this morning," Harry said, "The Dark Mark was found above Malfoy Mansion."

James and Richie both opened their mouths in shock. Jane covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes shining with tears.

"The Dark Mark?" Joseph asked, "But... that hasn't been seen for..."

"Nearly eighteen years," Harry said, "That's right."

"Dad?" James said, "People are starting to stare."

Jamie looked around. James was right. People were stopping in their tracks to see what was going on.

"Yeah," Harry said, "All right, we need to get out of here. We are all going to go to the Ministry of Magic. Jane, Richie, Joseph, you are going to come with us. I was supposed to pick you up anyway. Your parents will meet us at the Ministry. All right, you lot... follow me. A couple of Aurors will take care of your trunks. Romeo... do you need help?"

"N-no, sir," Romeo said, his voice shaking.

Jamie helped Romeo up and everyone followed Harry out to the front of the train station. Three Ministry cars were waiting for them. Jamie, Romeo and Harry took the front car. When the drivers in the other two cars gave a sign, the cars took off.

Jamie looked over at Romeo, who was staring out the window. He had a blank stare on his face, but was showing no sign of crying. Jamie couldn't help but think of what Romeo told her on the train. Jamie knew that Romeo's father was most likely the one who murdered Pansy Malfoy. For all Jamie knew, Draco was the only one alive who could cast the Dark Mark.

"Dad?" Jamie asked, "Why would Dra... someone... cast the Dark Mark if Voldemort is gone?"

"The Dark Mark wasn't just Voldemort's mark, Jamie," Harry said, "It was the sign of the Death Eater as well. There were Dark Marks in the sky months after Voldemort was gone. Everyone who respected Voldemort, and still believed in the Dark Arts, would cast the Dark Mark in the sky after they killed someone."

"So, does that mean that it was my father who did it?" Romeo said, "He is the only Death Eater still alive, isn't he?"

"We don't really know, Romeo," said Harry, "Your father is the only Death Eater reported to still be alive... but it doesn't mean there aren't others. At least that is what some of the Aurors believe."

"But you don't think there are more Death Eaters out there, Dad," Jamie said, "Do you?"

"I don't know," said Harry, "I hope not."

Jamie looked back at Romeo. Even though the situation had gotten much worse, Jamie was still thinking about her relationship with Romeo. Would he want to keep this relationship with her, now that his life had turned upside down?

Jamie then looked at her father. Her own father didn't even know about Jamie's relationship with Romeo. But could she tell him about it? What would he say? Nearly twenty-four hours ago, Jamie had been thinking inside that when the time had come to tell her father, that she would be able to tell him and was sure he would be happy. But now it seemed like everything was falling apart. Jamie's father may not have been saying it, but she was sure he was thinking that Romeo was in serious danger. Jamie was sure that she wouldn't be able to see Romeo anymore if she told her father about them. He might even do something crazy to make sure it didn't happen. But Jamie couldn't let that happen. She cared too much for Romeo to be taken out of his life. And now it seemed like that could happen any moment now.

Jamie couldn't believe this was happening. It seemed like the Yule Ball had happened a month ago, when it had only happened the night before. Jamie remembered how she had been having the best night of her life in the Great Hall, and all the time she, and nearly everyone else in the world, was clueless of the events that would be taking place later that night. Inside, this made her feel guilty. She could just imagine what had happened in Malfoy Mansion that previous night... the life of someone being taken away from them with two simple words. It might have been Romeo's mother who had been killed, but inside, Jamie felt as if it was someone close to her.

-----------------------------------------

Twenty minutes later, the cars came to a halt at the secret entrance to the Ministry of Magic. Four at a time, everyone made their way into the Ministry of Magic using the broken-down telephone booth. Jamie had visited the Ministry of Magic twice in her life: once to go to her grandfather's innauguration as Minister of Magic, and another time to take her Apparition Test (the latter just this past summer). But this was the first time she had ever seen the Attrium so busy. The news about the return of the Dark Mark looked as if it had reached everyone in the Ministry. Aurors and Ministry workers were walking back and forth, hands full of stacks of paper. Others were chatting in whispers amongst their fellow workers.

"All right, you lot," Harry said, "We need to go to check-in before we head up to the Auror Headquarters. Follow me."

As Jamie followed her father to the security desk, she noticed that some of the Ministry workers was looking at her. Then it came to her that she wasn't the object of their attention. It was easy to recognize Romeo as who he was, because he had looked a lot like his father. Jamie looked over at Romeo who was keeping his eye-sight on the ground in front of him, the blank stare still etched on his face.

Jamie and the others checked in their wands quickly and followed Harry into the lifts. When the lifts reached the seventh floor, it stopped. Everyone walked out and headed into the Auror Headquarters office. When they arrived, Ginny, as well as Ron and Hermione Weasley, Arthur Weasley, and Tonks were waiting for them.

"Oh, thank goodness!" Ginny said, hugging her husband, Jamie and James, "We were worried about you."

"We are fine, Ginny," said Harry.

"Mr. Malfoy," Arthur said as he walked over to Romeo, "Let me be the first to say that I am deeply sorry for what happened to your mother. As Minister of Magic, I will make sure we find out who is responsible."

"Thanks, sir," Romeo said, in a hoarse voice.

"Arthur, have you been thinking about what I asked of you last night?" Harry said.

"Of course, Harry," said Arthur, turning to Harry, "And I must say that your request has turned out to work very well."

"What's going on?" Ginny said, looking from her father to Harry, "Harry, you didn't tell me..."

"It is all right, Ginny," Arthur said, "Harry and I have decided that the Order of the Phoenix is back in action as of right now."

"The Order of the Phoenix!" James said, "Really? Wow..."

"But, Minister," Tonks said, "I thought we all agreed that..."

"It was the Order of the Phoenix who got the wizarding world through the Second War eighteen years ago, Tonks," said Arthur, "I have no choice but to reform the Order."

"The Wizengamot isn't going to approve, Dad," Ron said, "If you don't remember, it was the Wizengamot who..."

"That was when Rufus Scrimgeour was Minister of Magic, Ron," Arthur said, "And as the Minister of Magic right now, I am the one who has the final say. And I say that the Order of the Phoenix is back. I am not going to sit in my office and twiddle my thumbs while this is happening. The whole world is in danger right now. I promised the Prime Minister when I met him two years ago that nothing was going to happen to the Muggles again, and I am keeping that promise."

When no one spoke up, Arthur continued.

"Now, I have already sent owls to the remaining members of the Order," he said, "I have already gotten replies from Bill and Fleur, as well as Charlie, Fred and George. They all have agreed with our decision. I am still waiting for replies from the others."

"Dad will definitely be pleased with the return of the Order," Joseph said.

"I am sure Minerva and Hagrid will accept as well, Arthur," Harry said, "I am not sure about some of the others."

"There aren't many left," Tonks said, "Moody would have accepted, but as he is no longer with us..."

Mad-Eye Moody had died three years ago from old age. But everyone knew he would have wanted to go fighting.

"I am not so sure about Dung, Dad," said Ron, "He is still mad about being sent to prison all those years ago. I mean... it was his fault... but..."

"I am sure Kingsley would accept," said Harry, "His kids are all grown up, and he's been telling me he wished he hadn't retired. I can't say that Neville would help us though."

"Hey, how is Mrs. Longbottom?" Jamie asked, "I heard last night that she had gone into labor."

"Oh, she's fine, Jamie," Hermione said, "I went and visited her last night. She had a baby boy. They named him Frank, after Neville's father."

"Well, at least there is some good news right now," Arthur said.

Jamie looked over at Romeo, who looked back at her. When Jamie smiled at him, he walked over to a chair and sat down.

"What do you think we should do about him?" Harry whispered, nodding to Romeo.

"As of right now?" Arthur whispered, "I have no idea. He is of legal age. The Wizengamot would say that Malfoy Mansion is his."

"The boy can't go back there, Arthur. Not with...," Tonks said. She paused, then continued, "Not with the Aurors investigating, I mean."

"That place is Romeo's home, Tonks," Arthur said.

"He could go back to Hogwarts," Ron said.

"And what will happen after he graduates?" Tonks asked, "His mother is dead. We can only assume Romeo is marked for death as well."

"He could always live with us in Grimmauld Place," Harry said, "It would at least keep him safe. He would be under the watch of the Order."

"Now, I like that idea," Arthur said.

"He would be welcome to come to the house," Ginny said, "We all know Grimmauld Place is big enough."

"I will go discuss it with some of the members of the Wizengamot," Arthur said, "I was going to call a quick meeting anyway. Harry, if the members of the Order come by, tell them I will talk to them in a while."

"Of course, Arthur," Harry said.

Arthur walked over to Romeo, said something to him that Jamie couldn't hear, then walked off.

"This means I am going to have to stay here for a while, Ginny," Harry told his wife.

"I can take the kids back to Grimmauld Place," said Ginny, "I will set up the guest room for Romeo."

"Ron, Hermione, Tonks," Harry said, looking at his friends, "You and your children are all welcome to Grimmauld Place if you want to go."

"I guess we should go," Ron said, "I mean... if the Order of the Phoenix is getting back together tonight... we will have to be there."

"I agree with Ron," Hermione said.

"It's fine with me as well," Tonks said.

"All right," said Harry, "I will see you later, honey."

Harry kissed his wife, then turned to his kids.

"Are you guys okay?" he asked them.

"I'm fine, Dad," said Jamie.

"Yeah, me too," James said.

"Good," said Harry. He walked over to Romeo and sat in the chair next to him. "Romeo, I want you to go with my wife. You are invited to stay with my family for as long as you want. I need to tell you, though, that you cannot return to your house right now. It is too dangerous."

Romeo nodded, but kept silent.

"All right," said Ginny, "Let's get going. We don't need to intrude on Ministry business anyway. Oh, that reminds me... Hermione, what are we going to do about the S.P.E.W Headquarters?"

"Don't worry, Ginny," said Hermione, "I will talk to Parvati. She can probably handle everything today."

"All right," said Ginny, "We'll see you all later, then."

"We should be at your place in a couple of hours," Hermione said, "We need to get some stuff done."

"That goes for me and Joseph as well," Tonks said, "We will wait for Remus and meet you at your house then."

"We'll be waiting, then," said Ginny, turning to Jamie, James and Romeo, "Well, come on, you lot."

Jamie helped Romeo get up, they followed Ginny and James out of the Auror Headquarters. Ten minutes later, they were on their way through the grates back to Grimmauld Place.

-----------------------------------------


	24. A Very Long Night

Chapter 24  
A Very Long Night

"I wish Romeo would let me at least talk to him," Jamie said, "I feel so helpless."

It had been a couple of hours since Jamie had arrived at Grimmauld Place with Romeo, James and her mother. The moment they arrived, Ginny invited Romeo to come with her and they went up the stairs to go to the guest room. Twenty minutes later, Ginny came down the stairs and confronted Jamie and James, telling them that Romeo wanted to be left alone and that they shouldn't bother him.

Since then, Jamie had been laying on the couch in the living room staring at the fire. James had come in with two butterbeers and walked over to Jamie.

"You heard Mum," James said, giving Jamie a bottle of butterbeer, "We need to leave him alone. And if you ask me, I think it is a good idea. He just found out his mother is gone if you don't remember!"

"Of course I remember, James!" Jamie said, "I was there when Dad told him, remember?"

James said nothing and sat down in a chair near the fire. He opened his butterbeer and took a sip.

"Look, I know you are still mad at me for what happened last night," Jamie said.

"Of course I am mad," James said, "Here I was, happy that my own sister had a date to the dance, and then I come to find out it is Romeo Malfoy? And then I find out that you are his girlfriend? Why wouldn't I be mad?"

"I knew you wouldn't understand," Jamie said.

"Where is that Jamie Potter I knew a few months ago who joked with me about Romeo Malfoy?" James asked, "We used to have fun bothering Romeo... and if you don't remember, we weren't the ones who started the feud. Romeo had tormented us at Hogwarts for what seems like... forever. Even before I was at Hogwarts, you told me how he was. And now... it seems like that was a different person who told me about how much of a git Romeo Malfoy was."

"Romeo isn't as much of a git as you think he is, James," Jamie said.

"Oh, but of course that is what you are saying now," said James, "Now that you are snogging him."

Jamie rolled her eyes and sat up. "Look, James," she said, "I actually know what he is like now. I took the time to sit down and talk with him. He saved my life, if you don't remember!"

"Yeah, I remember," James said, "And I thanked him for it. And all he did was give me that bloody smirk of his."

"Of course he did, James," said Jamie, "What would you have thought if he started to be nice to you?"

"I don't know," James said, "But I know for sure that I wouldn't have guessed he was doing it because he was snogging my sister!"

"For your information, we didn't have our first date until a week after he saved me," Jamie said.

"You have been with him for that long?" James said, "Why didn't I see it?"

"Because we made sure that you wouldn't see it," Jamie said, "We made sure that none of our friends knew it. That backfired on us after a while. Professor Lupin found out, then Jasmine, then Hagrid. Jane only found out yesterday morning because I told her."

"Wait a second," James said, "Jasmine knew? Oh, this makes perfect sense now. She nearly cursed us into what could have been oblivion because she knew you were going out with her ex-boyfriend!"

"The only reason she put the Imperius Curse on Joey was to get back at me and Romeo," said Jamie.

"So... so, everything that has happened," said James, "Happened because you are going out with Romeo. Joseph and Jane's relationship nearly ruined... me and you almost getting ourselves killed... and let's not forget that Rogue Bludger."

"You think it was her?" Jamie asked, "You think it was Jasmine who made that bludger go after me?"

"Well, who else could it have been?" James asked, "Jasmine has spent the last few months torturing us because of your relationship with Romeo. It all makes sense now... perfect sense."

James took another sip of his butterbeer, then looked back over at Jamie.

"So... does Dad know about you and Romeo?" he asked.

"No, he does not," Jamie said.

"And you don't want him to find out?" James asked, "Well, good luck with that. Your boyfriend is living under our roof now... I don't think it will be very long before Dad finds out about you two."

"I don't think you are right," Jamie said.

"And why do you say that?" James asked, "You said Professor Lupin knows. Jamie, Professor Lupin is one of Dad's best friends!"

"Professor Lupin already told me that he wouldn't be the one who tells my father about my love life," said Jamie.

"Okay, but that isn't the only snag in your plan," said James, "Didn't you hear our grandfather? The Order is back. They are going to keep their eye on Romeo. They are going to make sure he is protected. You will be lucky to get ten minutes with Romeo alone."

"They aren't going to invade Romeo's personal life like that, James," Jamie said, "Dad invited Romeo here so that he would be protected, yes. But he isn't going to have Romeo guarded day and night. Romeo just can't leave the house without protection."

"Okay, but this brings back the other snag," James said, "Our father. Dad doesn't know about you and Romeo, and your relationship isn't going to keep secret from him if you are spending time with Romeo. Dad thinks you and Romeo still don't get along. Mum even apologized to me earlier for Romeo staying here. She thinks we can't stand him!"

Jamie paused and thought this over in her mind. When she came to a decision, she spoke up.

"Then I will just have to talk to Dad," said Jamie, "I think that, after I have a long talk with him, he will see that Romeo isn't a bad person. He doesn't think like that right now, does he? He invited him into our house."

"For protection, Jamie," James reminded her, "Dad knows that Romeo is in danger. Which brings up a good point. Do you really think Dad will like you being in a relationship with someone who has a target on their back?"

"Oh, and you don't think that hasn't crossed my mind?" Jamie said.

Jamie looked back toward the fire, thinking that the red and orange coals would give her the answers to her problems.

"I still wish I could talk to Romeo," she said, "I know he needs someone to talk to. He can't lock himself in that room all day. And I am the only person who I think he will talk to right now."

"He doesn't want to talk right now, Jamie," James said, "He barely talked at the Ministry. He barely even moved a muscle."

Jamie was going to respond, but suddenly she heard a noise coming from the fireplace. A second later, her father's head appeared in the fire.

"Oh, Jamie, James," Harry said, coughing a bit, "Go... go get your mother. I need to talk to her."

"I am here, honey," Ginny said, walking into the living room, "Something wrong?"

"Hermione, Ron, Tonks, Remus, and the kids should be there pretty soon," Harry said, "They said they needed to get some stuff and would arrive in a while. Oh, and your mother said she would come as well."

"And what about you?" Ginny said.

"Sorry, Ginny," said Harry, "Your father is having some trouble with the other members of the Wizengamot. A few of the members of the Wizengamot were there when the Second War was going on. They remember the confusion about the Order. I don't know how long this is going to take. Your brothers, as well as the other members of the Order, should get here soon. We hope that we can get them to talk to the council. Most of the Wizengamot were strong supporters of Scrimgeour, and they think that all of the Death Eaters are either dead or in prison."

"But what about Pansy Malfoy?" Ginny said, "And the Dark Mark? Those weren't accidents, Harry!"

"I know that, Ginny," Harry said, "We are trying to get that through the heads of the Wizengamot. But some of those wizards are pretty thick-minded. Only a few of the members are even shaken from the news of the Dark Mark. They think it was some trick some wanna-be punk did."

"But... before last night, the Dark Mark wasn't seen for nearly eighteen years, Harry," Ginny said, "The Dark Mark isn't something that was taught to anyone unless they were from Voldemort's Death Eaters. Only a Death Eater would know it."

"Yes, I know that," Harry said, "Which is exactly what your father is trying to say. Well, I better get going, Ginny. I just wanted to give you the news. Expect our friends anytime soon."

"Sure will, Harry," said Ginny.

"I will be home later," said Harry, "This is going to be a very long night I am afraid."

Harry's head disappeared from the fire.

"Well, I have been working on dinner," Ginny told Jamie and James. I made some sandwiches. I guess I better go see if Romeo wants anything... poor kid."

"I will take the stuff to him," Jamie said, standing up, "Anyway, you can stay down here and wait for everyone."

"Oh, all right," Ginny said.

Jamie followed her mother into the kitchen. She put a couple of the sandwiches on a plate and took a Butterbeer, then headed up the stairs.

-------------------------------------

Jamie knew this was her perfect chance to talk to Romeo. And even if Romeo didn't want to talk, she was going to force it out of him. Romeo wasn't going to lay in his room and disappear from the world, and he would definitely not disappear from Jamie's life!

"Romeo, it's Jamie," Jamie said, when she reached the guest room, "I have some sandwiches for you."

"I don't want any," Jamie heard Romeo said in a hoarse voice, "Leave it."

"Romeo, I am coming in!" Jamie said, "I am not going to watch you drown in self depression."

Jamie tried to open the door, but it was locked. She rolled her eyes and took out her wand.

"Alohomora," she said.

The door didn't open. Romeo had locked the door with the same charm Jamie was trying to use when she wanted to lock herself in the dormitory. And even in his depression, Romeo was still able to use the charm.

"Romeo..." Jamie said, "Please... open the door."

Jamie heard nothing on the other side of the door. She was about to say something again, but heard the door unlock. Jamie smiled and opened the door. Romeo was laying in his bed, his face toward the wall.

"Set the food down," Romeo said, "I will eat later."

"Didn't you hear me, Romeo?" Jamie said, "I am not going to leave you like this. I want to talk. Even if you don't want to talk, you can still listen!"

Romeo gave a deep sigh and turned around. He sat up slowly and faced Jamie.

"Fine, sit down," he said.

Jamie walked over to the bed and set the food on the bedside table, then sat down on the bed beside Romeo.

"Romeo," Jamie said, "I understand how you are feeling. I know..."

"No you don't, Jamie!" Romeo said.

"Then tell me, Romeo," said Jamie, a tear falling down her cheek.

"My mother is dead, Jamie," Romeo said, "My father is... who knows where he is. It was him who killed my mother, I know it. That Dark Mark was a warning sign. It means he is coming after me. And as long as the Order is keeping me here, you and all of your family and friends are in danger. Believe me... you don't understand!"

"The Order is going to protect you, Romeo," Jamie said.

"Oh yes, Jamie," said Romeo, "They will protect me... or they will at least try to protect me. My father is on a mission of  
his own. Remember, he is out for revenge. People who are out for revenge have a power that many do not know about."

Romeo sighed then continued.

"Here I was," said Romeo, "Ready for Christmas Break. When I thought I was going to go back to my home, I was happy. Even if I know I wasn't going to have fun, I still was happy. Because it meant you would be away from the danger I have to face."

"Is that why you wanted to go home?" Jamie asked, "You wanted to go so that I would be safe? Romeo, I am safe with my father. And now I know I am safe because you are here."

"You think I can protect you from my father?" Romeo said, "I can't protect you, Jamie. I thought I could protect you. I can't protect anyone. I thought I could protect my mother, Jamie... and now..."

Romeo broke into tears.

"And now I don't have a chance to anymore!" Romeo said, tears coming down his face, "And I know it is my fault..."

"It isn't your fault," Jamie said, leaning into Romeo and hugging him, "Whoever killed your mother, your father or whoever it was, is the one to blame. Not you..."

"I am never going to see my mother again, Jamie," Romeo said, "And I know it is because of my father. I want to kill him, Jamie. I want him to suffer, just like he is making me suffer!"

"Romeo, this is nonsense," Jamie said, "You aren't thinking straight. You need to get some sleep."

Romeo sighed. "Yeah... you are right," Romeo said, "I do need some sleep."

"But first you need to eat," Jamie said, "You haven't eaten since breakfast."

"Thanks for coming up here, Jamie," Romeo said, "I needed to talk to you. I just didn't know it."

"I wasn't going to let you stay up here and not let anyone talk to you," Jamie said, "I love you..."

"I love you too," Romeo said.

Jamie kissed Romeo, and they held each other for what seemed like hours, but it was only a couple minutes. When Jamie got up, she gave the sandwiches to Romeo.

"I will be back in a little bit," Jamie said, "You eat. You will feel better. I promise."

Romeo smiled, and Jamie walked out of the room.

-----------------------------

When Jamie walked back downstairs and into the living room, Jane and Richie had arrived with their parents.

"Tonks and Remus aren't here yet, are they?" Ron asked his sister, who had walked into the room with some bottles of butterbeer.

"No, but Harry said they should be here soon," Ginny said.

"Any news on how Dad was doing with the Wizengamot?" Ron asked.

"Harry said that it isn't going well," Ginny said, "He said that Dad was waiting for some of the members of the Order so that they could talk to the council, but..."

"Well, then maybe we should be there," Hermione said, "We are a part of the Order."

"And we are the only part of the Order that is here right now," Ginny said, "We need to stay here to keep watch over Romeo."

"Hey, where is Romeo?" Jane asked, "How is he feeling?"

"I just left his room," Jamie said, "When I gave him some sandwiches, he sounded like he was fine. He was upset, but that is quite understandable."

The door bell rang and Ginny hopped up and walked out of the room. A minute later, she came back with Joseph, Lupin and Tonks.

"I hope you don't mind, Ginny," Remus said, "I was planning on going to the Ministry. I think your father needs all the help he can get. Bringing back the Order is our top priority right now. I feel that the wizarding world will soon need the Order of the Phoenix more than they think they will." Remus turned to his wife and began to talk again. "You stay here with Joseph and the others. I don't think I will be too long, but I am going to stay as long as it takes."

"Just be careful," Tonks said, hugging her husband.

"Don't worry," Remus said, "I will be fine."

Remus left the livingroom.

"Well," Ginny said, "I have sandwiches in the kitchen. I think we all need a bite to eat. The kitchen is, as you all know, big enough for all of us."

Jamie watched the others walk into the kitchen and then looked at the fireplace. Everything was happening very fast. Professor Lupin was right. The Wizarding World, as well as the whole world, needed the Order of the Phoenix. If the Wizengamot didn't let the Order of the Phoenix return... well... Jamie didn't want to even think about what would happen. Jamie shook herself mentally and headed into the kitchen with her family and friends.

**Hope ya liked this chapter... next chapter will be in a different point-of-view.**

Feedback PLEASE! Hehe...


	25. Order in the Court: Part 1

Chapter 25  
Order in the Court! (Part 1)

**A/N: This chapter will not be in normal Point-of-View (a.k.a: Jamie's point-of-view). This chapter will be about what happens in the Ministry, and the Order vs. Wizengamot Hearing. As you can see, this will be in two chapters (Part 1 and Part 2). If I didn't do that, this would be the longest chapter I have ever written in one session and it would take you forever to read it!**

Harry sat alone in the office of Arthur Weasley, waiting for any word on what the Wizengamot had said. He had been ordered by Arthur Weasley to stay in the office and wait for the members of the Order of the Phoenix, for they were expected any moment now. It was from this office in which Harry had sent news to his family about what was happening at the Ministry. His family... that was all that Harry could think about.

It had been so long since he had defeated Voldemort, ensuring the victory over the Dark Arts. But victory had not come as far as Harry had expected. Harry remembered when he had graduated from Hogwarts, engaged to who was now his wife, expecting to start his Auror training, believing the worst was over. But Harry had learned the day he became an Auror that there were still rumors of Death Eaters alive and well. Death Eaters whom had survived the Second War and had taken refuge in unknown parts of the world. Of course, Harry had to keep these secrets from his family and friends, believing that nothing like this would ever affect them again.

Harry stared at the burning red and orange coals in the fireplace, trying to decide if he was living in a dream, or if he was in the real world. It all seemed so unreal. Harry had become an Auror believing that he wouldn't have to go through something like the Second War ever again. And now the Dark Mark had returned to the skies and the two words Harry believed he would never hear again had come back into existence: _Avada Kedavra_, the Killing Curse.

For years, Harry knew that the rumors that some of the Death Eaters were alive and out of Azkaban were true. But he wanted to keep the thoughts of these rumors locked inside his mind, where they belonged. Harry still had dreams of the Second War. The thoughts of the Second War still haunted him to this day. Some people, people who should have been killed or sent to Azkaban, were still free. And Harry knew the name of one of these people: Draco Malfoy. For years, Harry had been hunting down the man who had been his enemy for so long. Harry could not believe that the one person he wanted to get his hands on, was still free somewhere in the world. And now Draco's own family was involved. Draco's wife was murdered, and his own son was now involved in the plot. Harry knew this. Harry knew that Draco's son wasn't like his father. There was good in him, Harry could see that from miles away. And now Romeo Malfoy was involved in something he should have never known about... the terrible history of his father, Draco Malfoy.

A noise behind Harry caused him to lose his concentration. Harry turned around to see Arthur Weasley standing in the doorway.

"No one has come yet?" Arthur asked, sighing.

"They will come, Arthur," Harry said, "You need to give them time."

"Time is something we do not have right now, Harry," Arthur said, as he shut the double doors behind him, "The members of the Wizengamot will not listen. Some are even doubting if I have what it takes to be Minister right now. Many of the members of the Wizengamot are friends of Rufus Scrimgeour and I am afraid that they trust him too much, even if they know he is in Azkaban for treason."

"Don't they know what the Order did during the Second War?" asked Harry, "It is thanks to the Order that many of the Death Eaters were either killed or sent to Azkaban, and now the Wizengamot is doubting the strength of the Order?"

"We hid the Order from the Ministry, Harry," Arthur said, "Don't you remember? And then the Ministry found out about the Order and forced us to disband or many of its members would have faced life in Azkaban for treason."

"But doesn't the Wizengamot know what is going on right now?" Harry asked, "The Dark Mark..."

"The Dark Mark isn't enough of a threat to bring the Wizengamot to agree with me," said Arthur, "I thought I had power over the Wizengamot, but they have a right to make a choice as much as I do. And right now, many of the council members are saying that the Dark Mark was a hoax."

"How could they say that, Arthur?" Harry said, his anger rising, "Pansy Malfoy is dead! The Dark Mark was above her house. Don't they know who Pansy was married to? Don't they know who Draco Malfoy is!"

"Of course they do," Arthur said, "But there is still the fact that many of the members of the Wizengamot are afraid that something like the Second War is going to happen again. You know what it was like when people didn't believe that Voldemort had returned. People had remembered when Voldemort was first in power. They were afraid to believe that Voldemort was back. And now that fear has returned."

Harry sighed and looked back into the fireplace. He then turned around and looked back at the Minister.

"Can I talk to the Wizengamot?" he asked, "Surely my name still has some meaning to them..."

"We have to wait until our friends get here," Arthur said.

As he said that, the double doors opened. Charlie, Fred, George, Bill and Fleur walked into the room, all dressed in their work robes.

"Thank Merlin!" Arthur said, "We were wondering when you would get here."

"We were trying to get in contact with the others, Dad," Bill said.

"How did that go?" Arthur asked.

"Well, we were trying to decide who we should ask," Bill said, "And our first thought was Minerva and Hagrid. They were still at Hogwarts so we used the Floo Network. They will come back into the Order if we call for them, but I don't think they can be here tonight."

"Anyone else?" Arthur asked.

"How about me?" said a deep voice.

A tall, aging, black man walked into the office.

"Kingsley," said Arthur, walking over to the man to shake his hand, "My good friend."

"I heard about the Dark Mark, Arthur," Kingsley said, "I couldn't stay away."

"Where is Lupin?" Charlie asked, "I know he will come."

"I am here," said another voice.

Remus walked into the room. "I had to drop off Tonks and Joseph at Grimmauld Place," he said.

"Hey, that reminds me," said Fred, "What about them? Tonks and the others?"

"They are at Grimmauld Place," Arthur said, "They were the first to agree that the Order should reassign."

"Then I guess it is official," Fred said, "If we are here, then the Order is back together."

"Not quite," Arthur said, "Which brings me to why I called you all here tonight. The Wizengamot believes the Order should not reform."

"What?" Charlie said.

The other members of the Order started to express their own anger. Fleur stepped forward and put her hands on her hips.

"Zis eez an outrage!" Fleur said, "I thought ze Wizengamot would be ze first to agree wiz us!"

"You are forgetting that it was the Wizengamot who disbanded the Order so many years ago, Fleur," Arthur said.

"And they are still sticking with their decision?" George said, "Aah, I knew it. Never trust a Ministry official. Oh... no offense, Dad."

"I called you here tonight," Arthur said, "Because I wanted all of you to stand in front of the Wizengamot and explain why the Order should be reformed. If the council gets enough opinions, I believe they will have no choice but to allow the Order to reform."

"Which is exactly what we need to happen," Remus said, "Without the Order, I don't think the wizarding world will manage to survive if something happens."

"I agree, Remus," Kingsley said, "I shudder at the thought of what will happen without the Order."

"All right," Arthur said, "The council members are waiting for us. I don't think we need to keep them waiting any longer."

Harry and the others followed Arthur out of the office and toward the courtrooms.

---------------------------------------------------

Ten minutes later, Harry, Arthur and the other present members of the Order walked into courtroom eleven. Harry looked around at the members of the Wizengamot, all seated and staring at the members of the Order. It was hard for Harry to recognize any of the members of the Wizengamot, because few were on the council when Harry was a teenager. A grim looking witch was sitting in the highest seat. Harry noticed a quill resting above her ear, and a stack of parchment was resting in her lap. Harry knew this who this witch was. Her name was Susan Bones, and was in the same year as Harry when they were in Hogwarts. She was the niece of the highly respected late Amelia Bones. She had been appointed the new Head Judge recently, and it was probably because of her family history that she had gotten this job. Harry noticed that the years since Hogwarts hadn't been nice to Susan. Either this, or she was in a particularly foul mood.

"Ah, Minister," Susan said, "You have returned. Good. And I see you have brought friends. And also a few family members, I believe. I suppose this is whom you chose as your defense."

Defense? This struck Harry as an odd choice of word. But Harry guessed that Susan was probably right. They were, in fact, defending the Order.

"These people agree that the Order should be reformed," Arthur said, "And they have a good reason for their beliefs."

"Well, I would like to hear it, Arthur," Susan said, "But keep this in mind that I want to get this over quickly. It has been a very long day, and you will probably agree with me."

"Oh yes, it has been quite a long day," Arthur said.

"Then... let's get this over with," Susan said, shuffling through her papers, "We are now starting the Wizengamot vs. Order of the Phoenix Hearing. It is..."

Susan looked at the clock on the wall.

"Exactly ten-fourty in the evening," Susan continued, turning her attention back to Harry, Arthur and the others, "On the twenty-second day of the twelfth month. I, Susan Bones, will be the Head Judge for this Hearing, accompanied by various members of the Wizengamot. Defense, please state your names, your line of work, bloodline and reason for being here."

One by one, Harry and the others stated their information, finally ending with...

"Arthur Weasley," Arthur said, "Minister of Magic, Pure Blood, defending the right for the Order of the Phoenix to reform."

"All right," Susan said, writing something on a piece of parchment in her lap, "Arthur, as you fully understand, that because you are participating in the defensive half of this hearing, that you will not have the right to vote at the end of the hearing. As a result, it will be the Wizengamot's decision and our decision only."

"I understand," Arthur said.

"Very well," Susan said, "All right. We will begin with an opening statement from myself on behalf of the Wizengamot, and then I will let you have your turn."

Arthur nodded. Susan stood up and cleared her throat.

"Now," she said, "Minister Weasley, seeing that you have worked at the Ministry for over twenty years, you will know that the Ministry stands tall in believing that protecting the people is our highest priority. But, you will also know that the Ministry is very proud of what it does, and it does not like seeing things that could overpower it. The Dark Arts is one example, but the Order of the Phoenix is another example. As you had explained when the Order of the Phoenix revealed itself eighteen years ago, the Order had been together for many years. All that time, it had been keeping secrets from the Ministry of Magic, something that the Ministry strongly opposes. The Order was operating under the Ministry's nose and had recruited many wizards and witches who had jobs with the Ministry. As you know, Rufus Scrimgeour hadn't approved of this and called for the Order of the Phoenix to be disbanded immediately."

"The reason the Wizengamot are here tonight, Minister Weasley," Susan continued, "Is because we feel that if the former members of the Order of the Phoenix want to reform their group, is that it means that there are schemes going on that the Ministry doesn't know about. And what is worse is that the Minister is part of the Order. There was enough evidence eighteen years ago that told the Wizengamot that the Order of the Phoenix did not like everything that was going on in the Ministry. Now, what I, as well as the other members of the Wizengamot, want to know is... do you have other reasons then treason to reform the Order?"

"Well, there is no doubt about that, your honor," Arthur said.

"Then I beg of you," Susan said, "Please... continue."

"Now, before I adress the council members of the Wizengamot," Arthur said, "I want to make sure something is clear in this room. Do the council members of the Wizengamot know about what certain Aurors and other wizards and witches witnessed last night at the residence known as Malfoy Mansion?"

"If you are talking about the Dark Mark, Minister," Susan said, "Yes, I assure you, we know all about the story of the Dark Mark reappearing."

"Then you will not have any questions when I tell you about why the Order wants to reform again," Arthur said, "But since you had decided to take a little look back in history, it is only fair that the defense goes on a little trip through history as well."

Arthur paused, deciding on what to say. His following speech would decide the fate of the Order, and most likely the future of the wizarding world. A minute later, he looked back up at Susan and the other members of the Wizengamot and began to speak.

"Everyone in this room knows what happened during the wars," Arthur said, "Over thirty years ago, Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters started to create havoc. He used his servants, as well as Dark Creatures, to..."

"Yes, yes," Susan interrupted, "We all know what happened during the First War, thank you. But what does that have to do with the Order reforming at this moment in time?"

"Your Honor," Arthur said, "It was during the First War when the Order of the Phoenix was first formed. And it was formed for the same exact reason that the members here tonight want to reform the Order."

"Are you telling me," Susan said, "That you expect Lord Voldemort to come back from the dead and set his servants on us again?"

"Of course not, Your Honor," Arthur said, "Harry here made sure that Lord Voldemort would not... come back from the dead, as you nicely put it."

"Then what do we have to worry about?" Susan said, "Why are we even here tonight?"

"The return of the Dark Mark, Your Honor," Arthur said, "That is the exact reason why the talk of the Order's return even started."

"You are putting too much into the return of a simple object, Minister," Susan said.

"My dear Madam," Arthur said, "The Dark Mark wasn't just a simple object. Has ten years of being in the Ministry clouded your mind? The Dark Mark was the sign of Voldemort and his Death Eaters."

"I say it again!" Susan said, standing up and pointing her quill at Arthur, "Voldemort is gone! We know this!"

"Yes," Arthur said, remaining calm, even though his opposition was nearing the point of screaming, "Voldemort is gone... but his Death Eaters aren't. We already know that there are Death Eaters who remain out of Azkaban. Pansy Malfoy was murdered last night by someone who used the Killing Curse. Let me remind you that the Killing Curse, like every one of the Unforgivable Curses, hasn't been used for nearly eighteen years... until last night, of course. They are illegal and were only used by Death Eaters and Voldemort himself. There were times that wizards on the good side used these, but we know that they were Dark Magic and were perfected by those who were associated in the Dark Arts. And now, the worst Unforgivable Curse in our history has returned. Which means one thing... the Dark Arts have returned. I say it again. Voldemort may be gone, but some of his servants are not."

"Thank you for your... insight into what happened last night," Susan said, "And it's involvement with the Dark Arts. But I assure you, we have no evidence that states that the events of last night were nothing more than a hoax."

"You are blinded by your fears!" Harry said standing up.

"Mr. Potter," Susan said, "Let me remind you that this is a hearing and the defense can only speak when they are called upon!"

"I remember when Voldemort had returned a little over twenty years ago," Harry said, taking in little of what Susan had just said, "Cornelius Fudge had everyone in the Ministry, and nearly everyone in the wizarding world, brainwashed. Most people were refusing to believe that the night I saw Voldemort return had ever happened. Everyone, at least those who didn't believe that Voldemort had returned, were blinded by their fear. They had remembered what had happened when the First War was going on. Well, the members of the Order of the Phoenix were the only ones who believed that Voldemort had returned. And if you don't remember, the night everyone found out that they were wrong about Voldemort's return, it was the Order of the Phoenix who defended the Ministry against the Death Eaters as well as Voldemort himself. Instead of tearing the Order of the Phoenix apart eighteen years ago, the Ministry should have been thanking us!"

"Order! Order! Mr. Potter watch your tongue!" Susan finally said, "This is my court room and I will not have everything get out of hand! Mr. Potter, are you going to settle down, or will I have to remove you from this hearing?"

Harry said nothing and continued to stare at Susan and the members of the Wizengamot. Arthur, noticing that Harry's anger was about to reach its peak, spoke up.

"Your Honor," he said, "We need to take a short recess in order to... sort everything out."

"Minister, I want to get this done tonight!" Susan said.

"And it will be done tonight, Your Honor," said Arthur, "But if we are going to do this right, I ask you to grant us this recess."

Susan sighed, looked at Harry, then looked back at Arthur.

"Fine, fine," Susan said, "A twenty minute recess. But you better be back here in twenty minutes, or you can consider this hearing over."

"Thank you, your honor," Arthur said, turning his attention to the Order members, "Follow me outside."

Harry wrenched his focus away from Susan and followed Arthur out to the halls outside the court room.

--------------------------------------  
**Well, this cliffhanger might just be the biggest cliffhanger I have ever written. Part 1 of this long and gripping Hearing is over, yes. But I can tell you that the Hearing is NOT over. I can assure you it will only get much more interesting as the night goes on. But that will take place next chapter!**

When I first started this chapter, I did not know it would turn into a 2 part chapter. I also did not know how well I could portray the Ministry and their power-hungry schemes.

I would also like to explain that Harry is not like he was in his youth (someone who feels like yelling can get you anything)... but like I have shown... he does still get mad. And that will probably continue next chapter.

Well, would love Feedback! I love and appreciate your feedback, no matter how many times I say it.


	26. Order In the Court: Part 2

Chapter 26  
Order in the Court! (Part 2)

When Harry walked outside the courtroom, he noticed that everyone was staring at him.

"What?" Harry said.

"Harry, do you not understand how serious it is in there?" Arthur asked.

"Of course I do," said Harry.

"There are certain limits a person can go through inside one of the courtrooms, Harry," Arthur said, "The Wizengamot are not people to mess around with. They are the kind of people who decide our fate tonight."

"They are pretty much deciding the fate of the whole world, Arthur," Harry said, "And they do not know it. We have to get it through their thick minds that the Order has to reform... tonight."

"Yes, we know," Arthur said, "And it isn't going to happen by force."

"Well, if you ask me, Arthur," Harry said, "At this pace, the Wizengamot is not going to vote for the Order to be reformed. Which, as we all know, cannot happen. For the sake of the wizarding world, the Wizengamot have to agree with us. As of right now, Susan Bones still believes that the Dark Mark was just a joke. We know it wasn't a joke, Arthur."

"And how exactly do you think we are going to change her mind?" Arthur asked, "I can tell you that it will not be the way you acted in there just now."

"How I acted?" Harry asked, "I was trying to make them remember that it was the Order who saved the wizarding world, not the Ministry. That is what you were trying to accomplish, right?"

"Yes, that is correct," Arthur said.

"May I say something, Arthur?" Remus said, walking in between Arthur and Harry.

"Of course," Arthur said.

"What I understand," Remus said, "Is that the Ministry is afraid of the Order. You heard Bones. The Wizengamot believes the Order of the Phoenix wants to have more power then the Ministry just because it was the Order who was responsible for the end of the Second War, not the Ministry. The Wizengamot believes we want to turn our backs on the Ministry."

"Seems like a pretty good idea to me," Harry said, "If the Wizengamot isn't going to hear us out, then I say we should turn our backs on the Ministry."

"The problem with that, Harry," Remus said, "Is that a good majority of the Order works at the Ministry, and one of them is the Minister of Magic."

Harry began to reply, but looked down at the floor and sighed.

"So what do you think we should do, Remus?" Arthur asked.

"We make the Wizengamot believe that we are siding with the Ministry," Remus said, "The Wizengamot will have to believe us. You are the Minister of Magic and a part of the Order. The Wizengamot knows you wouldn't stop being Minister of Magic just to bring the Order back."

"Then they don't know me very well," Arthur said, "You know what my reason was for taking the job as Minister of Magic."

"Yes, I do know, Arthur," Remus said, "But the Wizengamot believes that you do not want to risk your job as Minister. And like I said, many of the Order Members are part of the Ministry. Harry is one of the best Aurors there is right now. The Ministry doesn't want to lose him. But the Ministry also knows that Harry would do anything to be with the Order. So we use that against them. We offer to ally ourselves with the Ministry of Magic, and then we see where it goes from there."

"What do you mean by 'we see where it goes from there'?" Harry asked.

"We see what the Wizengamot has to say about it," Remus said, "We see how they react. I think they will try to do something harsh, but it might take that to bring back the Order."

Arthur sighed and looked around at his friends. He looked over at Harry.

"What do you think, Harry?" Arthur asked him.

"I stick with what I said earlier, Arthur," Harry said, "The Order has to reform tonight."

"And does that mean that you think it has to reform... whatever it takes?" Arthur asked.

"If that is what it takes," Harry said, "Then yes, I do believe we will have to go that far."

"All right," said Arthur, "We need to figure out something. Because other than Remus' idea, we might have no other choices. And we need to get back into the courtroom. So, what does everyone think?"

"Whatever it takes, Arthur," Kingsley said, "The current events has forced us to make this decision."

Everyone else agreed and Arthur motioned them to go back into the courtroom.

------------------------------------  
The moment Arthur, Harry and the other present members of the Order walked into the courtroom, the Wizengamot went silent. Susan began to speak.

"Well, I trust that you have calmed down the members of your defense, Minister?" she asked.

"That is correct," Arthur said.

"And I assume that it will not happen again," Susan said.

"I don't think you have to worry about something like that happening again," Arthur said.

"I hope you are right, Minister," Susan said, "For your sake. Now, I believe before we took a recess, you were still discussing your opening statements? Do you want to continue?"

"Yes, Your Honor," Arthur said, "And I believe you will like what I have to say."

"Is that so?" Susan asked. Harry noticed that this last statement from Arthur had made Susan give her full decision. Previous to this, she was resting her foot on the ledge, bored with the events that were taking place.

"Yes, it is so," Arthur said, "You see, the other members of the defense and I used the twenty minutes we were given... quite wisely. We know that the Wizengamot does not trust the Order of the Phoenix. The members of the Order will not forget what happened nearly eighteen years ago. But, what I understand is that you have not given any sign of wanting to feud with us. You were pleased when I was chosen for Minister of Magic. And I see that you were more then happy to see that Harry Potter recieved a job in the Ministry, even though just a few years ago, Harry was still refusing to believe anything the Ministry had to say."

"Yes, yes," Susan said, "But what, may I ask, does that have to do with the Order requesting to reform?"

"Oh, it has plenty to do with it, Susan," Arthur said, "You see, my friends with me tonight can see that the Ministry of Magic does not hate the Order of the Phoenix. The Ministry of Magic knows that it was the Order who was responsible for the end of the Second War and that if it wasn't for the Order, that the wizarding world as we know it... may not have existed."

"Yes, but that was when Voldemort was still alive," Susan said, "The Ministry of Magic was trying to get rid of Voldemort, and Rufus Scrimgeour knew that the only way that Voldemort would be destroyed, would be to get Harry to join our side. But when he didn't join the Ministry, we had to go a different way. So he let Harry's friends... you and your friends, Arthur, who we know now as the Order... take care of the job for him. But as I said, that was during the Second War when Voldemort was in power. And as we know, those years are over... ancient history. Only a painful memory."

"The Second War is over, yes," Arthur said, "But as Minister of Magic, I know that the Ministry does not want to see another War happen. Tell me, Your Honor, if you had the choice, would you do anything you could to stop another War from ever happening again."

"Of course I would, Minister," Susan said.

"Well, then you should be happy to know that it is your choice right now," Arthur said, "You see, the Dark Mark shows us that there could be another War starting. And right now, we are here tonight discussing the future of the Order. Which means we are discussing what could be the future of the war. The Order of the Phoenix would try as hard as we could to prevent a war from ever happening. And if you are wanting to do anything to keep a war from happening, then you would allow the Order to reform."

Susan said nothing, but was opening and closing her mouth, trying to decide if she should say something. Harry thought she looked like a fish. Finally, she found her voice.

"So, basically what you are saying, Minister," she said, "Is that the Order will fight in the War, but only if the Ministry allows it... if the Wizengamot allows it."

"Correct, Your Honor," Arthur said.

"Which means that the Order would be doing stuff under the Ministry's request," Susan said.

"I guess you could call it that," Arthur said, "It also means that the Order would be allied with the Ministry. And, believe me Your Honor, that would be a very strong Ally for the Ministry."

"So, Minister," Susan said, "Let's just say the Wizengamot will allow you to reform the Order. If this would happen, the Ministry would have a big part in the Order. At least one Ministry member, who isn't in the Order right now, would be in the Order of the Phoenix. And it would be the Wizengamot's choice... not yours. Would you agree to it?"

"If that is what you would ask," Arthur said, "Then yes, we would agree to it."

"Hang on," Harry said, standing up, "Sorry to interrupt, but I need to talk to the Minister."

Susan shrugged and motioned for Harry to walk over to the Minister, which Harry did.

"What is going on?" Arthur whispered.

"Arthur," whispered Harry, "Do you realize what they are saying. They would have a spy from the Ministry to be in the Order."

"We said we would do this whatever it takes, Harry," Arthur whispered, "This needs to happen."

"I don't like this," Harry whispered, "But you are the Minister. You know best."

Harry walked back to his seat and sat down.

"Are you finished?" Susan said.

"Yes, I believe we are," Arthur said.

"All right," said Susan, "You have given us some decisions to make. This will take a little while to discuss, and we do not make decisions in front of the defense. So, I ask you to leave the courtroom and wait for our decision."

"Yes, Your Honor," Arthur said, motioning for Harry and the others to follow him again.

Arthur led the others out of the court room yet again.

"Arthur, can we really trust the Wizengamot?" Harry said, as they walked into the corridor outside the courtroom, "Who knows what schemes they are hatching in there? If they don't agree to bring back the Order, the whole world is doomed. And if they do agree to bring back the Order, we will have someone we might not be able to trust working with us."

"We agreed that we would do this whatever it takes, Arthur said, "We have no other choice. Tonight's decision will change the course of history for the better or worse. You better pray that it changes it for the better."

"Man, I wish we could hear what was going on in there," Fred said, looking at the door.

"Are you thinking what I am thinking, Fred?" George said.

"Boys, the doors been Imperturbed," Remus said, "Not even Platinum Extendable Ears could get through there."

"There is nothing we have made that has failed us yet," George said, taking out a golden string from his pocket. George kneeled down and fidgeted with the string. After a minute, he stood back up and turned around. "Okay," he said, "I was wrong."

"The Ministry is smarter then you realize," Remus said.

"We knew we shouldn't have shown the Ministry too many of our inventions," George said.

"Well, we can't do anything about that right now, bro," Fred said.

---------------------------------------

Ten minutes later, Harry began to pace back and forth trying to think of anything that he could do to up their chances of the Order returning. An hour later, no answer had come, and Harry's pacing had become contagious. Fred and George were now pacing, but Harry believed they were trying to decide how they could get some answers by using their inventions.

"Would you guys stop it?" Charlie asked, "That is starting to make me nervous."

"What is taking the Wizengamot so long?" Harry asked.

"Well, hopefully they decided to reform the Order long ago," Remus said, "And now they are deciding who in the Ministry should join the Order."

"More like they are deciding who to spy on us," Harry said.

Suddenly, the courtroom doors opened and Susan's voice was heard.

"Members of the Defense," Susan said, "Please return to the courtroom."

Harry, Arthur and the others all sighed collectively, and everyone walked into the court room.

"Remain standing please," Susan said, as Harry and the others reached their chairs, "We have made a decision. It was a hard decision, but the Ministry believes in acting upon the sake of the people. So, we have decided to allow the Order to reform."

Harry and the others looked at one another and smiled.

"But," said Susan, "We have also come to the decision that not one, but two people, will join the Order. One of these people is a future member of the Wizengamot and we feel he needs to prove himself. Minister, I am sure you will be happy with this choice. The other member is not with the Ministry anymore, but we feel he needs a chance to prove himself. There have been rumors that he is wanting to apologize for his past actions and rejoin the Ministry. We are happy to say that both of the new members of the Order are here tonight. We called them to come immediately and they should be here any second... ah, I think I hear the door now."

Every member of the defense stared at the doors, which started to open.

"I am sure everyone of the defense knows who these two men are," Susan said, "So there needs to be no introduction. Come on in, fellows... please."

Harry's jaw dropped as the two men walked into the room.

"The two newest members of the Order," Susan said, "are Percy Weasley and Rufus Scrimgeour."

-----------------------------------

**Well, this ended the two part Hearing. I hope you like the chapters and the surprises that came with it...**

Feedback... well, I love it!


	27. A Time For Change

Chapter 27  
A Time For Change

It was just after midnight, and Jamie was laying on top of the covers of her bed. She hadn't been able to sleep, because she was so worried about her father. She figured he would be home, but she hadn't heard any noise coming from the bottom floor. How late would he be at the Ministry? And what was going on in the Wizengamot that was taking so long? Was the Order of the Phoenix going to be able to reform? And if it didn't... Jamie didn't want to think what would happen if it didn't. She shook herself mentally and leapt out of bed. She silenty walked across the room, careful not to wake Jane who was sleeping on the cot next to Jamie's bed. Jamie walked over to the door, opened it silently, then walked out of the room and closed the door.

A couple of minutes later, Jamie reached the bottom floor of the house and noticed that the light in the kitchen was on. Jamie walked over to the kitchen and noticed her mother sitting alone at the table. She was looking through photo albums, and was humming silently. When Jamie walked into the kitchen, Ginny looked up.

"Oh, honey," she said, "You startled me."

"Sorry," Jamie said, sitting down at the table, "I couldn't sleep. Dad isn't back yet?"

"No, not yet," Ginny said, then catching the look on her daughter's face, she continued, "Oh, don't worry. You father has been at the Ministry much later than this."

"I know, but I am not just worried about Dad," Jamie said, "The reason Dad's there this late is to discuss the future of the Order, right? I hope it is going well..."

"Jamie, you really don't need to worry so much," Ginny said, "I am sure your father and grandfather are working it all out."

Jamie nodded. As she watched her mother look through the family photo album, a thought came to Jamie's mind. She hadn't told her mother or father about her relationship with Romeo. But did she want to tell them? It wasn't a question of when she could tell them, it was a question of how. Would her parents approve of her being with Romeo, or would they get mad?

_Tell your mother,_ said the voice in Jamie's head, _She will understand more then your father._

Jamie decided that this was right, but she would have to do this carefully.

"Um, Mum?" Jamie said, "Can I talk to you about something?"

"Of course, honey," Ginny said.

"Well, if I tell you something," Jamie said, "Would you tell Dad about what I told you?"

"Depends on what it is, Jamie," Ginny said, "You know I don't like keeping secrets from your father."

"Well, I want to be the one who tells him," Jamie said, "You will understand what I mean when I tell you."

"Okay," said Ginny, "Go on..."

"Well, a couple weeks after I started term at Hogwarts," Jamie said, "I was on my broom after the Quidditch try-outs and I crashed it."

"Really?" said Ginny, "That is quite a surprise, knowing how good of the flier you are."

"Yeah, well," Jamie said, "I woke up in the hospital wing hours later and Romeo came in."

"Romeo?" Ginny said, "You mean, Romeo as in... Romeo who is living here now."

"Romeo Malfoy, yes," Jamie said.

"Go on," Ginny said again.

"Well," continued Jamie, "He told me that he saw me crash and was the one who brought me up to the Hospital Wing. We got to talking and he... he asked me out on a date. Well, seeing that he basically saved my life, I said yes."

"I see," said Ginny.

"And... we have been going dating ever since," Jamie said, bracing herself for what could come.

"You mean," Ginny said, "You and him are..."

"A couple, yes," Jamie said.

"And do you love him?" Ginny asked.

"Well... yeah," Jamie said.

"I should have known," Ginny said, "I could see it when we were at the Ministry."

"How do you feel about this?" Jamie asked.

"I guess I should be happy that you have found someone," Ginny said.

"But, you are going to say that he is a Malfoy, so..." Jamie began.

"I wasn't going to say that, Jamie," Ginny said, "It doesn't matter if he is a Malfoy or not."

"You mean you are not mad at me for going out with a Malfoy?" Jamie asked, "Even when I am a Potter who..."

"Who should hate Malfoys?" Ginny finished, "Jamie, we don't hate the whole Malfoy family. You have to understand, Romeo's father..."

"I know all about Romeo's father," Jamie said, "But Romeo is nothing like his father, other then his appearance."

"I can see that, honey," Ginny said.

"Are you going to tell Dad?" Jamie asked.

"No, I think you should do that," Ginny said.

"Do you know how he is going to take it?" Jamie asked, "I mean... I am dating the son of his enemy. And now, with... you know, everything going on, I am afraid Dad will not approve of me and Romeo. He will probably think I will be in danger."

"I don't know how your father will take it," Ginny said, "All I know is that you should tell him. He will probably find out anyway. Romeo is living here now."

"Yeah, I know," Jamie said.

Suddenly, a noise was heard from down the hallway.

"Oh, that is probably them!" Ginny said.

Jamie and Ginny stood up and hurried out to the hall. Harry, Arthur, and the others had arrived.

"There you are," Ginny said, hugging her husband, "How did it go?"

"Well, it..." Harry said.

"The Order is back, right?" Ginny asked, "The Wizengamot did give permission... right?"

"Yes, Ginny," Arthur said, "But it came with a price."

"W-what do you mean?" Ginny asked, looking at each of the members of the Order one at a time, "What price?"

"The Wizengamot has assigned two people to join the Order," said Arthur, "On the Ministry's behalf."

"Oh?" Ginny said, "Who?"

"Percy and Rufus Scrimgeour," Arthur said.

"Percy? Uncle Percy?" Jamie said.

"Yeah," Harry said.

"Wait a minute," Ginny said, "Did you say Rufus Scrimgeour? I thought... I thought he was in Azkaban..."

"He was," Arthur said, "I suppose they released him on good behavior."

"The Ministry doesn't let people out of Azkaban for good behavior!" Ginny said, "Everyone who is in Azkaban deserves it. Dad... didn't you get a say in this? You are the Minister!"

"I couldn't make any decision about who would come into the Order," Arthur said, "I was on the defensive side... there are certain rules."

"This is unreal," Ginny said, "I can understand Percy... but Scrimgeour as well?"

"We figured the Wizengamot has assigned those two to be spies for the Ministry," Harry said.

"What are we going to do?" Ginny asked.

"Well, Percy and Rufus aren't assigned to come to the Order until after Christmas," said Arthur, "So, before they come here, I want to call a meeting. Everyone of the Order Members need to be here. We need to decide what we are going to do. We aren't going to let the Wizengamot get away with this. We need to be ready for Percy and Rufus."

"You're making them sound like the bad guys here," Jamie said.

Everyone stared at Jamie.

"I guess I will just... go to bed," Jamie said, realizing she wasn't supposed to be part of this conversation.

Jamie hugged her mother, father and grandfather goodnight and headed back to her bedroom. When she reached her bedroom, she walked over to her bed and laid down, falling asleep as soon as she hit the pillow.

----------------------------------------------

The next day, Jamie wasted no time in telling James, Jane, Richie and Joseph what she had heard the previous night.

"Your kidding!" James said, "We have to deal with Uncle Percy, as well as that fugitive!"

"He isn't a fugitive, James," Jamie said, "He was released by the Ministry."

"But he is a traitor to the wizarding world," James said, "He was being paid to keep his mouth shut."

"And Grandpa couldn't do anything about this?" Jane said, "He is the Minister of Magic!"

"Apparently being Minister of Magic isn't like it used to be," Jamie said, "I guess the Wizengamot had all the power last night. Or at least that is what..."

"Shh!" James said.

The door to the dining room opened and Tonks walked out. She walked over to a cupboard, took something out, then walked back into the dining room and shut the door.

"Aww, I was hoping we could hear something," James said, "I want to know what is going on in there."

"Yeah, well, it is a pity Fred and George are part of the Order," Richie said, "They could have helped us listen in to the Order's conversation. But now they expect anything that we might do to eavesdrop. They know all the tricks, seeing that they did the same thing when they weren't in the Order."

"Well, I am going to go see if Romeo wants to talk," Jamie said, "He can't stay in that room forever."

Jamie stood up and headed up the stairs. She walked over to the guest bedroom and knocked on the door.

"Door is open," Romeo's voice said inside the room.

Jamie smiled and walked into the room. Romeo was sitting on his bed reading one of his schoolbooks.

"Oh, well, this is an improvement," Jamie said, walking over to Romeo's bed and sat down, "At least you aren't in the 'I don't want to talk to anyone' mood anymore."

"I was getting bored," Romeo said, "I had to do something."

"Why didn't you come downstairs then?" Jamie asked.

Romeo shrugged.

"You don't know?" Jamie said, "Well, it is better then being cooped in this room all the time."

"Oh yeah," Romeo said, "And you think that if I go down, I won't get asked any questions? Believe me, it's better being up here."

"Would you come down for me?" Jamie asked.

"And get evil looks from your brother?" Romeo said, "No way. I know he still hates me."

"He doesn't hate you, Romeo," Jamie said, "I talked to him yesterday. About us. We had a nice talk and he is fine with us being together. Which reminds me... I also talked to my mother about us."

"How did that go?" Romeo said.

"It went... pretty well," Jamie said.

"Well, I could have guessed that," Romeo said, "Seeing that you are up here talking to me. If it didn't go well, your mother would have done anything she could to keep us apart."

"I still haven't talked to my Dad about us, though," Jamie said.

"Because you are scared of what he will think?" Romeo asked.

"I don't really care what he thinks about us being together," Jamie said, "It won't change the fact that I love you."

Romeo smirked. Jamie leaned over and kissed him.

"Now will you come downstairs?" Jamie asked.

"I will think about it," Romeo said.

---------------------------------

**Okay, I admit it wasn't the best chapter. I didn't know much to put in it, cause I have been getting ready for the Order Meeting Chapter... it looks like I will be writing a couple of Order meeting chapters coming up... along with Jamie finally revealing the news to her father.**

Hope you like the chapter... feedback appreciated.


	28. Discussions and Understanding

Chapter 28  
Discussions and Understanding

Jamie walked down to the bottom floor of Grimmauld Place and walked into the living room. It looked like the meeting had gotten over, because a few of the Order Members were sitting in the living room talking to Jane, Joseph and the others.

"Oh, Jamie, there you are," Harry said, "We were wondering where you were."

"I was seeing how Romeo was doing," Jamie said, "So, the Order meeting is over?"

"Not quite," Harry said, "We are taking a break."

"Oh, good," Jamie said, "Because I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Oh, okay, sweetie," Harry said.

"Er... in private?" Jamie asked.

"Oh, of course," Harry said, "We can go into the dining room. It is empty right now."

Jamie smiled and followed her father into the dining room. Harry closed the door, locked it, and looked at Jamie.

"Well, I am glad to see that you aren't angry at me for letting Romeo stay here for a while," Harry said, "It looks like you have become good friends with him."

"What?" Jamie said.

_He knows,_ a voice in Jamie's mind said.

"Well, you used to always tell me how you weren't looking forward going to Hogwarts each year," said Harry, "Because it meant more... bullying from Romeo... I guess you could say."

"Oh," Jamie said, sighing deeply, "Yeah, uh, Dad. I wanted to talk to you about that."

"About the bullying?" Harry asked.

"No, about Romeo," said Jamie, "There is a reason we are able to talk to each other now."

"Oh, really?" Harry said.

"Yeah," Jamie said, "Romeo... he, er... saved my life."

"He what?" Harry asked.

"I was riding my broom after Quidditch Practice one day," Jamie said, "And I lost control and crashed the broom. Next thing I knew, I was up in the Hospital Wing. Romeo had visited me and said that he saw me crash. He told me he was the one who brought me up to the Hospital Wing."

"Really?" Harry said, "Well, then I guess I should thank him."

"There is more," Jamie said.

"Oh," Harry said.

"Dad, you might want to sit down," Jamie said.

"Oh... okay," said Harry, though he looked unsure about this. But he sat down in a chair anyway.

"Well," Jamie said, "The day he visited me in the Hospital wing, we got to talking. My opinion about him changed that day. And... well, he kind of surprised me. He asked me out on a date. And I... I said yes."

"You went on a date with Romeo?" Harry said, "Is that what you wanted to tell me."

"I am not finished," Jamie said, "We went on more then one date. He and I uh... are a couple."

Silence filled the room and Harry just stared at his daughter. Jamie looked at her feet, expecting the worst from her father.

"So," Harry finally spoke up, "So... Romeo is your... your boyfriend?"

Jamie nodded, but said nothing.

"Well that explains alot," Harry said, "You seemed rather close to him when you got off the train a couple of days ago."

"Are you mad?" Jamie asked.

"I am not mad, no," Harry said, "Shocked... but not mad."

"So you're not mad that I am going out with the son of Draco Malfoy?" Jamie asked.

"Jamie," Harry said, "Just because I never liked Draco Malfoy, doesn't mean I am not going to like his son. Romeo is a fine young man. He seems like he is nothing like his father."

"Heh," Jamie shrugged, "And here I was thinking that you were going to be mad. I grew up believing the whole Malfoy Family was scum, based on the stories you told me. I never dreamed I would fall in love with one."

"So you do love him?" Harry asked.

"Well... yeah," Jamie said, "I guess I do."

"And does he love you?" Harry asked.

Jamie smiled and nodded.

"Well, I am happy for you," said Harry, "But you know that this means I am going to have to talk to him."

Jamie rolled her eyes. "Fine... just don't... just don't scare him," she said.

"Scare him?" Harry asked, almost laughing.

"You are hunting down his father," Jamie said, "He has been staying up in our guest room because he is afraid that the Order wants to talk to him. He knows nothing about where his father his, Dad."

"I won't ask him anything like that, Jamie," said Harry, "I promise."

"Fine, let's go," Jamie said.

Harry unlocked the door and walked out of the room with Jamie.

"Oh, Harry, there you are," Tonks said, "We are almost ready to continue the meeting."

"I have something to do," Harry said, "Then we will be back down."

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Tonks asked, "I mean... do you think they are ready for this? Because, you know, I don't think he is ready for it. You know who I am talking about."

"I am sure they are ready," Harry said, "Now if you excuse me, I need to talk to Romeo. If we are lucky, he might come downstairs."

"I hope so," said Tonks, "Poor boy. He has been cooped up in that room since he has been here."

"And I think I know why," Harry said, "We will be back down in a little bit, Tonks. Come on, Jamie."

Harry and Jamie walked up the stairs. As they walked up to the second floor, Jamie looked at her father.

"Dad?" she asked, "What was Tonks talking about? Who is ready for what?"

"I will tell you later," Harry said, "Right now, we should talk to Romeo."

------------------------------------------------  
Harry and Jamie made their way to Romeo's room. Harry knocked on the door and spoke up.

"Romeo?" Harry said, "This is Harry. Can I talk to you?"

"I don't feel like talking," Romeo said from inside the room.

"Romeo, it is okay," Jamie said, "I am here as well."

After a few seconds, Romeo said, "Fine... fine, come on in."

Jamie opened the door and she walked in with her father.

"Look, Mr. Potter," Romeo said, "Like I already told Jamie, I --"

"I am not here to talk to you about your father, Romeo," Harry said.

Romeo looked from Harry to Jamie.

"I had an interesting little talk with Jamie just a little bit ago," Harry said, "She told me that you saved her life in September."

"What? Oh... yeah, I did," Romeo said.

"She also told me that you two are dating," Harry said.

"She did, did she?" Romeo said, looking at Jamie.

"Yes," said Harry, "And I will assure you that I am not mad. I am actually happy."

"Really," Romeo said, a big grin appearing on his face.

"No matter what you have heard, Romeo," Harry said, "I do not hate you. If you do not want to be questioned about your father, I understand that. I understand how rough life is for you. But I want you to know that just because you are your father's son, doesn't mean I am going to hate you. Your father and I have had a rough past, and now I need to settle it. But, let me assure you, Romeo, you have nothing to do with what is going on between me and your father."

"I understand, sir," Romeo said.

"I also want you to know that I am not mad that you are going out with my daughter, Romeo," Harry said, "It is shocking, yes. But if she wants to go out with you, I am not going to argue." Harry looked at his daughter. "She is of age and she should be able to make her own choices."

"Oh, thank you, Dad," Jamie said, hugging her father.

"Now, Romeo," said Harry, "I am about to ask you something and I don't want you to over-react."

Romeo just nodded.

"Would you please come on downstairs?" Harry said, "The Order and I have invited Jamie, Jane and Joseph to come down to a meeting, since they are of age, and we would like you to come down as well. Since you are of age, we want you to know what is going on. You might even learn a little more about your father."

"And you won't ask me anything about my father?" Romeo said.

"Unless you wish it, no," Harry said.

Romeo sighed deeply and looked at Jamie. Jamie smiled at him, and he looked back at Harry.

"Let me get ready," Romeo said, "And I will be down in a few minutes."

"Great," Harry said, "See you downstairs."

Romeo smiled.

Jamie kissed Romeo on the cheek and walked out of the room with her father.

"You didn't tell me I would be able to attend a meeting," Jamie said.

"No, no I did not," Harry said.

"And why not?" Jamie asked.

"I guess I wanted it to be a surprise," said Harry. He laughed at the look on Jamie's face and said, "You will understand in a few minutes. Let's go downstairs."

Jamie nodded and walked down the stairs with her father. What was going to happen? Was there something her father wanted her to know about this situation the world was in? Was the Order worried about more then just the two new members from the Ministry? Jamie's mind was racing as she continued down the stairs with her father.

**This chapter was just about Harry finding out and his reaction. I hope it wasn't too soft, too cheesy, of a reaction... but if it was, I am sorry!**

Next chapter will have some surprises! Feedback Please!


	29. An Unexpected Request

Chapter 29  
An Unexpected Request

When Jamie and her father entered the dining room, the members of the Order of the Phoenix had already begun to sit down in their respected chairs. Jamie noticed Professors McGonagall and Slughorn sitting near the front of the room. She also spotted her mother, Uncle Ron, Aunt Hermione, and her grandmother, Molly Weasley, sitting in the front row. Fred and George were sitting in the back row talking to each other. Bill and Fleur were talking with Charlie, all of whom were also in the back row. Tonks and Remus were talking to Kingsley Shacklebolt. Hagrid was standing in the back of the room. Next to Hagrid, Jamie spotted Jane and Joseph, both who looked worried and confused. She left her father's side and walked over to them.

"Do you know why we are here?" Jane whispered to Jamie.

"My father said it was a surprise," said Jamie, "But he also told Romeo that we were in here because they thought we should know what was going on."

"Your father talked to Romeo?" Jane asked.

"Yeah," said Jamie, "I was with him."

"Does your father know about... you know, you and Romeo?" Joseph asked.

"Yeah, I told him," Jamie said.

"All right," said Arthur, standing up, "I believe everyone is here that wants to be here."

"Not yet, Arthur," Harry said, "Our other guest is getting ready. He should be down soon."

As soon as he said this, the door of the dining room opened and Romeo walked in. He stared around the room quietly, as many of the Order members stared at him.

"It's okay, Romeo," Harry said, walking over to the door and closing it, "You may stand with Jamie and the others."

Romeo nodded silently and walked over to Jamie and the others.

"You okay, Romeo?" Jane whispered to Romeo, "You've been in that room for a couple of days now."

"I am fine, Jane," Romeo whispered, "What is going on?"

"We were wondering the same thing," Joseph whispered.

"All right," Arthur said again, "It looks like everyone is now here. We will continue the meeting, then. We went on break after discussing the future of the Order of the Phoenix. You all know what happened last night in the Ministry of Magic and the result of the Hearing with the Wizengamot. Former Minister of Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour, and my son, Percy, will be arriving here a couple days after the Christmas Holiday. I have already told you that I do not trust the choices that the Wizengamot have made. The Wizengamot do not trust the Order of the Phoenix. We learned this many years ago, and they still have that same bigotry for the Order."

Arthur sighed then continued.

"I hoped that when I took the position of Minister of Magic," he said, "that I would be able to make the Ministry correct the past actions it had made. The conviction of Rufus Scrimgeour had shown us that secrets were still roaming through out the Ministry. I may be the Minister of Magic, but I do not hold all the power within the Ministry. For years I did not want to be Minister, and now that has backfired on me. There are few in the Ministry who are taking me seriously. Many do not trust me and I believe many of those people are members of the Wizengamot. I can tell you right now that the Order of the Phoenix would not be around tonight if I hadn't agreed that Scrimgeour and my son could become members of the Order. This tells me that the Wizengamot is using the Order for its schemes. The Wizengamot freed a man who was convicted of treason in order for them to get what they want. I still remember when treason was punishable by death if that treason was big enough to ruin the world as we know it. And what Rufus Scrimgeour did was enough to be sent to Azkaban for life. But no, he was freed from Azkaban and will not return if he does enough in the Order."

"Now," Arthur continued, "Percy and Rufus are smart people. They are also very loyal with the Wizengamot and will do anything to get a seat in the Wizengamot. I know right now that they are going to report to the Ministry about stuff that is going on here, and we will have to act very formal around them. Before they come, we need to decide what to do. That will take a couple of days. We do have time, but we will have to use it wisely. I do understand that it may take us from our main mission of tracking down Draco Malfoy, but I am sure everyone in here knows what I know: without the Order, the Wizarding World will not get through this."

Jamie thought this last bit from her grandfather was weird. What did he mean? How powerful was the Order? Could the Order really save the world? And if this was true, why was the Wizengamot interfering?

"All right," Arthur spoke up, interrupting Jamie's thinking, "Let's see.. what next? Aw, yes. Dear me, I almost forgot."

Arthur turned his attention to the back of the room where Jamie and the others were standing.

"Jamie, Jane, Joseph, and Romeo," he said, "Would you come to the front of the room please?"

Jamie looked around at her friends, who all looked back with surprises on their faces. She then led the way to the front of the dining room.

"Now," said Arthur, looking at Jamie and the others, "Through the years, we have watched most of you grow up and go through your young lives. You may not realize this, but you have a lot in common with some of the members of the Order. Jamie and Jane, as you already know, your own parents were your age when they were going through the Second War. They were around your age when they were given the right to be members of the Order of the Phoenix. When you become of age, it is a life-changing moment. You are given more responsibilities and privileges then you did when you were just a year younger. You are able to perform spells now legally that you weren't able to perform when you were younger. Oh, but you know this of course."

Arthur smiled and continued.

"But, for the four of you," he continued, "yes, even you Romeo... being of age gives you another privilege. You all grew up learning about the Wars and the events that took place during those years. You probably learned a lot about the Order, and what we did during the Second War. And now, at this very moment, another war is on the way. The Order of the Phoenix knows this, and you need to be aware of this as well."

Arthur looked at the members of the Order of the Phoenix and then turned his attention back to Jamie, Jane, Joseph and Romeo.

"The other members of the Order and I," Arthur said, "have been talking about something that could change the Order... as well as your young lives. Earlier this evening, we agreed on a decision. We have decided to bring four new members to the Order of the Phoenix."

Jamie was stunned by this. She looked at Jane and the others, all of whom had shocked looks on their faces, even Romeo.

"As the Leader of the Order of the Phoenix," Arthur said, "I want to invite the four of you to stand alongside everyone here as members of the Order of the Phoenix."

The stunned look on Jamie's face continued to remain there. She looked from her grandfather to her parents, both of whom were smiling.

"I understand that this might come as a bit of a shock to you," said Arthur, "And that is why I will give you some time to think it over. In fact, I want you to think it over. I want you to give it some thought. Every single member of the Order of Phoenix, and those who have passed on that were Members, had to do the same thing you are doing. They had to think it over before they answered. It is just what is expected. Now, before you think it over, I want to tell you this. You may think that you will be expected to do alot while you are members. But everyone here knows that you are still in Hogwarts, and that you still have a few months of learning left. I do not want you to answer tonight. I want to see that you have put a lot of thought to it. It is quite understandable that you are in a state of shock, and that is why I can not accept an answer from you right now. Now, you make take a seat and we can continue."

Jamie smiled and walked slowly over to her parents and sat down. Romeo sat down next to her. She smiled at him, and he smiled back. But through the smile, it was obvious that a million questions were going through his mind. In fact, a million questions were going through Jamie's mind. She had just been offered a spot in the Order of the Phoenix. She had only been seventeen for a few months and she was already seen as an eligible member of the Order. Was this just because she was her fathers' daughter. But if it was... then why was Romeo asked to be a member?

_Maybe it is so the Order can keep an eye on Romeo_, the voice in Jamie's head said, _You know that Romeo is probably next on his father's death list. The Order wants to protect him. And what better way then to ask him to be in the Order of the Phoenix?_

Jamie didn't know what to think about this. The fact that she had been invited to be a member of the Order was still going through her mind. She would need time to think about it, yes. She looked at her parents again, both whom were smiling at her. Jamie smiled back in re-assurance.

----------------------------------------------------  
The meeting ended thirty minutes later, and many of the members of the Order left the dining room. A few of the members, including Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Lupin, and Tonks, remained behind with Jamie and her friends.

"How are you all feeling?" Harry asked to Jamie and her friends.

"Well, the Minister was right," Joseph said, "We are a bit shocked about this whole thing."

"We knew you would be," Remus said, "But Arthur was right. We all want you to think about this. Sleep on it. You will find that it might be easier to think about in the morning."

"Good idea," Jamie said.

"Now," Harry said, "We want to tell you something before you go. We do not want you to tell James or Richie about this. They will not understand. They will want to join the Order as well, but they are too young. I want you to keep this secret from them. They are not to know about what happened tonight. You all understand me?"

"Yes, Dad," Jamie said.

Everyone else nodded in agreement.

"Good," Harry said, "You may go."

Jamie, Romeo, Jane and Joseph left the dining room. James and Richie were waiting for them out in the hall.

"So?" James said, "What happened? You have to tell us!"

"No... we don't," Jamie said.

Richie and James jaws dropped to the floor.

"What... why?" Richie asked, "Jane, I bet you can tell us. Joseph?"

"I could tell you," said Joseph, "But I would have to kill you."

"I get it," said Richie, "They made you take an oath or something. You step into a room where a meeting is taking place and you have to swear not to tell anyone what you heard. I get it now. That is why we never hear anything about what goes on in the meetings."

"Richie," said Jane, "I think you better check your butterbeer. I think you might have taken a Babbling Beverage."

"Hmmph!" Richie grunted, "Come on, James, they aren't going to tell us anything."

Richie and James walked away and disappeared around the corner.

"They wouldn't believe us if we could tell them," Jamie whispered, "I mean... would you believe it? We are only seventeen. We are probably the youngest members to be invited into the Order... that is... if we do become members. Well, I don't know about you, but I need some time to think about what just happened in there. I am going up to my room."

"I will go with you, Jamie," Romeo said.

Jamie smiled and nodded. She took Romeo's hand and they made their way to the second floor of the house. As they walked up the stairs, Jamie noticed that Romeo was being silent.

"What are you thinking?" she asked him.

"I don't know," said Romeo, "I would have never expected to be asked to be a member of the Order. I don't have any connections with the Order. It's strange, isn't it? Everything is happening to my family, and now I have been invited to be in the Order. I am suddenly an important person."

"What are you talking about?" Jamie asked.

"Don't think that I don't know what is going on here," Romeo said, "The Order is hunting down my father. I was brought to this house so I could be safe."

"Romeo, you were brought to the house because you couldn't go back your place," Jamie said, "For one thing, there are many things going on there. Investigations and such. For another, you would be alone! Do you know how safe you would be in that house, Romeo! And don't tell me that you think they invited you into the Order just to keep an eye on you. They respect you and see that you aren't like your father. You want this war to end. You want your father to be captured. That is why you have been invited into the Order! You... do want your father to get caught, don't you?"

"Yes, Jamie," said Romeo, "I do want him to be captured. I know he murdered my mother. But how is the Order going to capture my father by inviting me into the Order? Think about that. I am bait, Jamie. That is all I got out of that meeting."

"Romeo, you aren't..." Jamie began.

But Jamie couldn't finish. Romeo had walked ahead of her and up the stairs. When she ran up the stairs after him, she saw the door of the guest room close from down the hall. Jamie walked past the door and toward her room. She decided to not say anymore to Romeo. She knew he needed to think. Perhaps she would get her answer tomorrow. Jamie decided she couldn't worry about that. She had bigger things on her mind. She had to decide if she was ready to be a member of the Order.

Jamie walked into her room and shut the door. She would stay in her room for the rest of the day.

**Aww, our favorite couple had another fight... sorta.**

Yes, there was plenty to think about in this chapter. What will be the response of Jamie, Romeo, Jane, and Joey? You will have to wait to find out.

Feedback appreciated... as always.


	30. Discussions and Decisions

Chapter 30  
Discussions and Decisions

Jamie lay awake in her bed, staring up at the ceiling. She didn't know what time it was, only that it was nearing morning. The sunlight hadn't even entered the room, so this meant that it was in the early hours of the morning. Jamie had spent most of the previous day thinking about the invitation she had recieved to enter the Order of the Phoenix. It was a great privilege to even be given an invitation, even though Jamie knew it was because of her parents that she was invited. The shock that Jamie had endured the moment her grandfather invited her into the Order of the Phoenix was still visible. Jamie had given alot of thought about entering the Order, but she knew that there could be an after-effect to the decision Jamie wanted to make. She was thrilled about joining the Order, it was true. But she also knew that it would take a great deal of responsibility to be a member of the Order. Not to mention the danger she could put herself in.

Jamie remembered what it was like growing up. Her father told her all about the Order and what it was like when he was Jamie's age. He had told her how dangerous it was. It was so dangerous, the Order Members hadn't allowed Harry to be in it until he was of age. Order Members were dying right and left, and others were getting injured. Then there was the fact that the Ministry of Magic was tracking down the Order.

Jamie had remembered how cool it sounded to be a part of the Order and fight the bad guys. But now that she was actually being invited, it seemed to have a different affect on her. It was all too real now. And the threat of an upcoming war even made it worse. Did she want to be invited to the Order? Did she want to be in the Order? Jamie had been trying to ponder this for a while now, and sleep only helped a little.

Another thought wandered into Jamie's mind. Why did the Order invited Jamie and her friends? She remembered what Romeo had said. Romeo wasn't even connected with anyone in the Order. In fact, the Order was hunting Romeo's father. Maybe Romeo was right... maybe he is bait.

Suddenly, a barely-heard tap on the bedroom door was heard, followed by a familliar voice.

"Jamie!" the voice whispered, "It's Romeo. Are you awake? I want to talk."

Jamie got out of bed and walked slowly past Jane and over to the door. She opened the door and saw Romeo standing outside it.

"Oh, good you are awake," Romeo said.

"The sun hasn't even risen yet, Romeo," Jamie said, "What do you want?"

"Can I talk to you?" Romeo asked.

"Now?" Jamie asked.

"Yeah," Romeo said.

"Fine," Jamie sighed, "But not here. Jane is asleep."

"Then we will go to my room," Romeo said.

"Fine, let me get dressed," Jamie said.

"Your pajamas are fine, Jamie," Romeo said.

"I don't walk around the house in my pajamas, Romeo," Jamie said.

"My room is just down the hall, you know," Romeo said, "It is not like we are going outside. Come on."

"Ugh, fine," Jamie groaned.

Jamie walked out of the room and closed the door silently. She followed Romeo down the hall and to the guest room. They made there way in the guest room and Romeo shut the door.

"Now, what is this about?" Jamie asked, "I might have been asleep."

"Oh, I envy you," Romeo said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"What?" Jamie asked, "You mean you haven't slept any during the night."

"I slept," Romeo said, "For a couple of hours. Until a bloody... oh nevermind."

"No, until what?" Jamie said.

"I've been having these dreams," Romeo admitted, "Ever since I been here. I see myself at my house and my mother's body is laying on the livingroom rug. And she was dead."

Romeo sighed deeply and walked over to his bed. He sat down and put his face in his hands.

"Romeo, they are just dreams," Jamie said.

"Yeah, but that is not all," Romeo said, "In my dream, I saw my father outside the window. He is just looking at me and my mother's body... and he is laughing. And then... I uh..."

"You what, Romeo?" Jamie asked.

"Nevermind, you don't want to know," Romeo said.

"Oh, come on Romeo," Jamie said, "We told each other we wouldn't keep secrets. We've been doing enough of that already."

"My father... he...," Romeo said, slowly, "He had this... this red glare... in his eyes. I can't get that out of my mind, Jamie."

"It was just a dream, Romeo," Jamie said, "That is all it was."

"Yes, but it is affecting me, Jamie," Romeo said, "I... I do want to be in the Order. But I am afraid it is for the wrong reason."

"What?" Jamie asked.

"I want to be in the Order, Jamie," Romeo said, "But I don't want to do it just to help the wizarding world. I want to be the one who kills my father!"

"What!" Jamie said, bewildered, "Romeo..."

"He killed my mother, Jamie!" Romeo said, "I know he did... and I hate him for it. I will never... ever forgive him. I do not care what the Ministry says... I do not care what any one says. It was my father who killed my mother. The only reason no one can figure it out, is because he left no traces. He did it, Jamie! And I want him to pay for it."

"The only reason you want to join the Order is to kill your father?" Jamie said, standing up, "Romeo, the Order doesn't kill people unless they have to."

"And I won't be able to live with myself," said Romeo, "Unless my father is dead. I have made up my mind. I am joining the Order."

Jamie said nothing to this last response from Romeo. Romeo noticed this and spoke up.

"You... aren't going to tell anybody why I want to join the Order," Romeo said, "Will you?"

"Romeo, I already told you," Jamie said, "I don't like keeping secrets. It is just not me. You saw how much it tore me inside to keep our relationship secret. A humongous weight lifted the moment I told my father about us!"

"Jamie, this is bigger than any secret relationship!" Romeo said.

"You don't think I know that?" Jamie asked, "Romeo, do you even know how much danger you will put yourself in if you want to go out and kill your father?"

"You don't think I can do it, do you?" Romeo asked.

"It is not that I don't think you can do it, Romeo," Jamie said, "It is that I don't want you to do it. I don't want to lose you over something like this! I love you, don't you even understand that!"

Romeo said nothing but looked up at Jamie. He looked like he was about to say something, but a POP was suddenly heard behind Jamie. Jamie turned around. Remus Lupin was standing there.

"Professor Lupin?" Romeo said, "What are you doing in here?"

"Trying to figure out what the commotion was," Remus said, "The guest bedroom I am staying in is right above yours... and I was woken up. Now... what is going on?"

"We are trying to decide if we want to join the Order or not," Jamie said, looking at Romeo.

"Oh, I quite understand," Remus said, "But that doesn't mean that it considers a quite of bit of yelling. You are lucky no one else has come into the room. I understand how much thought it takes about entering the Order of the Phoenix. A lot of dedication and responsibility is expected. But of course, you are still in Hogwarts, so those responsibilities wouldn't come for a little while."

"Professor Lupin," Romeo said.

"Oh, please, do call me Remus," Remus said.

"Sorry," Romeo said, "Remus, can I ask you a question?"

"You already did," Remus said, "But sure... go ahead."

"Do you know why the Minister invited me into the Order?" Romeo asked, "I have no connections to the Order, unless you count the fact that I am dating the daughter of two of the members, and the granddaughter of the Leader of the Order. But besides that... why was I invited? I barely know some of these people. And the Order is hunting my father."

"Many of the members, including myself," Remus said, "believe you deserve as much of a chance as Jamie, Jane and Joseph. You are your father's son, but you are nothing like him. We all respect that, and we feel you should be given a chance. I mean... you do want the good guys to win this war, don't you?"

"Of course I do," Romeo said.

"Well, then, that is the first step to being a member of the Order," Remus said, smiling, "Remember, I cannot make this choice for you two, it is your choice. But it is not every day someone gets invited into the Order of the Phoenix."

Professor Lupin walked toward the door and opened it. He looked back at Jamie and Romeo.

"Oh, and I just wanted to let you know," Remus said, "We are planning on taking you kids to Diagon Alley to buy your Christmas gifts today. Romeo, you can come down as well, if you want to."

"Thanks, Remus," Jamie said.

"Yeah, thanks," Romeo said.

Remus smiled and walked out of the room, then shut the door.

"See, Romeo," Jamie said, "You are not bait. They invited you into the Order because they think you should have a chance."

"Yes, if you believe what Lupin said," Romeo said.

"I do believe what Remus said," Jamie said, "Because he has been there for me when I was growing up. Whenever I was mad at my parents for some stupid reason, I could always talk to Lupin."

"Look, Jamie," said Romeo, "I already told you I planned on joining the Order. And I am sticking to that decision. You don't have to persuade me anymore."

Jamie nodded. She didn't want to argue, even if she didn't agree with the reason Romeo wanted to join the Order.

"Are you going to join?" Romeo asked.

"I guess," said Jamie, shrugging, "It is the right thing to do."

"You aren't just joining because I am going to?" Romeo asked.

"No, I am going to join, because I want to," Jamie said, "I have made up my mind. So... are you coming to Diagon Alley with us?"

"It depends," Romeo said, "Whenever you go, do you have company with you..."

"My friends, of course," Jamie said.

"You know what I mean," Romeo said, "Aurors and such."

"Oh, no... well, not all the time," Jamie said, "But I guess since there is danger now... why are you asking anyway?"

"Well... we haven't been on an actual date since the dance," Romeo said, "If we got some time alone..."

"We are alone," Jamie said.

"Yes, but anyone could bother us," Romeo said, "I mean another private date. Maybe your cousin will finally leave us alone."

"Well... I guess it would be fun," Jamie said, "Well, I am going to get ready and go downstairs. Many of the adults are probably awake anyway."

"I will come down in a little bit," Romeo said.

Jamie smirked, kissed Romeo, and headed for the door. She left the room, shut the door, and headed for her own room.

**This was another one of those chapters that I didn't want to put too much in, because it would get really long... this chapter was based on one thing... Decisions and Answers...**

Feedback appreciated...


	31. The Christmas Rush

Chapter 31  
The Christmas Rush

When Jamie arrived in the kitchen, she saw that her mother, grandmother, Remus and Tonks were all there.

"I wish we could have done this sooner," Molly said, "Christmas is tomorrow, Ginny."

"Yes, Mum, I know," said Ginny, who was stirring up a batch of pancakes, "But with everything that is going on... oh, hi, honey, didn't hear you come in."

Ginny had just noticed that her daughter had walked in.

"You look kind of tired, Jamie," Molly said, "Did you get any sleep last night?"

"I got enough, Grandmum," Jamie said, sitting down at the table.

"All right, sweetie," Molly said, turning back to Ginny, "Well, Ginny, you know... we need to go there as early as we can. We are probably not the only ones who are doing last minute shopping."

"I know, Mum," Ginny said, "Just as soon as the kids get up and eat, we will go."

"Romeo is up," Jamie said, "I am not sure about the others."

"I will go wake them up," Molly said, standing up and leaving the kitchen.

"So, honey," Ginny said, still working on the pancake mix, "Have you thought about what happened last night?"

"Huh?" Jamie said.

"Have you thought about what happened last night?" Ginny said again, "The invitation?"

"Oh...yeah, I have," said Jamie, "But I haven't given a final decision."

"Really?" Ginny asked, "Well, it might take a little time."

"Yeah," Jamie said, "Um... Mum, I have a question. Grandfather didn't... invite me in just because... you know, because I am your daughter?

"No, honey," Ginny said, a little too quickly, "Me and your father... as well as everyone in the Order... think it is time for you to be in the Order. You know about the Order, you should have a part in it."

"Yes, but...," said Jamie, determined to get the truth out of her mother, "I thought there were guidelines... rules, you know. No one still in school can join the Order. You weren't allowed to even join the Order until after the war."

Ginny sighed. "Are you asking these questions because you feel you shouldn't be in the Order?" she asked Jamie.

"No, I want to be in the Order," Jamie said, "But..."

Jamie saw the look on her mother's face.

"Okay, what about Romeo?" Jamie asked, "He is thinking that he was invited into the Order just so people can get information out of him."

"Information?" Ginny said.

"He said that the Order thinks he knows where his father is," Jamie said, "And he does not know anything about it. I don't even think he has gotten any letters from his father."

Jamie thought of the dream Romeo had told her and decided to keep that from the Order for a while. It was, in fact, Romeo's dream, and Jamie knew it needed to be Romeo who told the Order about it.

Ginny let out a sigh that interrupted Jamie's thoughts. She took her wand from her pocket and muttered an incantation, pointing the wand at the mixing bowl where pancake mix was. The wooden stirring spoon began to stir the contents of the bowl on its own. Ginny sat down at the table and looked at Jamie.

"Honey, you know that we are looking for Romeo's father," she said. Jamie nodded slightly, and Ginny continued. "Well, to tell you the truth, we aren't having very much luck. There wasn't much the Ministry or some of the Order's Members could find. As you know, the Killing Curse leaves no trace."

"We figured Pansy Malfoy was killed pretty quickly," Remus said, "We don't think Draco was at the Mansion for any other reason. We... may be wrong though."

"What?" Jamie asked.

"Well, Pansy Malfoy loved her husband deep down," Remus said, "Draco had been on the run for so long, that when he returned, it probably overwhelmed Pansy. She probably didn't even think that Draco would kill her. The thing that baffles the Ministry as well as some of us in the Order is... why would Draco murder his wife?"

"Why would he need a reason?" Jamie asked, "He is a Death Eater, isn't he?"

"Yes, he is, Jamie," said Remus, "But... some of us in the Order are afraid Draco had... other intentions."

"Other intentions?" Jamie asked.

"There is... something we haven't told any of you last night," Remus said, "It wasn't mentioned in the meeting."

"Go on," Jamie said.

"Well, the day you came home, and your father brought you and the others to the Ministry," said Remus, "Two Aurors stayed behind."

"Yeah, Dad told them to get our trunks," Jamie said.

"Well, while they were there, they were confronted by someone," said Remus, "One of the Aurors were killed, and the other was seriously injured. The surviving Auror was sent to St. Mungo's where he was questioned. He was in bad shape, and died shortly after Ministry workers questioned him. It was reported that he said only one word during the time they were asking him these questions. When they had asked him who it was that attacked them... he said one word... Malfoy."

"Romeo's father was... at the platform?" Jamie said in a muffled voice. She had put a hand over her mouth from shock.

"Yes," Remus said, "We believe he was looking for Romeo. Fortunately, Romeo had left with you, your father, and the others."

"Do you think he was... planning on killing Romeo?" Jamie said, tears coming down her face.

"We don't know," said Remus, "It is a strong possibility."

"He is bait," Jamie said.

"What?" Ginny asked.

"The Order is using Romeo as bait!" Jamie said, standing up, "Romeo's father is looking for him and you want him to be around for when Draco does come!"

"No, that is not it at all, Jamie!" Ginny said.

"Yeah, it is," Jamie said.

"No, it is not, Jamie," Remus said, "Romeo's father is looking for him. That is correct. But we want to keep Romeo safe. We would never use him for bait. Now, please, do not mention this to anyone else... including Romeo. We will tell them when we think it is time. But right now, we want to know if Romeo, Jane and Joseph really want to join the Order or not. This news might alter their decision."

Jamie sighed and thought about what Remus had asked of her. When she noticed the look of questioning on Remus' face, she spoke up.

"I won't tell them," Jamie said.

A couple minutes later, Molly had come down with Romeo and the others. They all sat down and waited for breakfast. When Romeo looked at Jamie, she smirked. She didn't know whether she could tell Romeo or not. How would he take it? But could she keep this secret from Romeo, when she had just told Romeo not long before that she didn't like keeping secrets?

----------------------------------------------------------------

An hour later, Jamie walked out of the Leaky Cauldron's fireplace covered in soot. She was soon joined by Romeo, Jane, Joseph, James, Richie, Ginny and Molly. The first thing Jamie noticed was that the Leaky Cauldron was decorated for the Christmas holiday. Golden Wreaths were hung on the walls and a large Christmas Tree was standing in a corner decorated with fairy lights and other Christmas ornaments.

"Doing a bit of late shopping, I see," a voice said from behind the bar.

Jamie turned around and saw Tom, the owner of the Leaky Cauldron. Old age had caught up with him, but it didn't stop him from doing his job of tending to his bar.

"Yes sir, Tom," Molly said, "We have been pretty busy with all the current events."

"Say no more, Molly, I quite understand," Tom said, "Can I offer you a drink?"

"Maybe later," said Ginny, turning to Jamie and the other kids, "Well, come on, you lot."

"Actually, Mum," Jamie said, "We were wondering if you could split up to do our shopping." When Jamie saw the look on her mother and grandmother's faces, she continued, "Oh we will be all right. You don't have to worry about us."

Ginny sighed but agreed in the end. However, James and Richie weren't so lucky. They would be accompanied by Ginny and Molly in Diagon Alley.

"We will meet back here in three hours, you lot!" Ginny said as Jamie and Romeo left the Leaky Cauldron, "We don't want to spend that much time here!"

Jamie nodded and walked with Romeo into Diagon Alley.

"Three hours?" Romeo said, "Is that all?"

"Well, you musn't blame my Mum," Jamie said, "I mean... with everything that is going on."

"Yeah, but it doesn't give us much time, does it?" Romeo asked.

"We don't have to spend it all shopping, Romeo," Jamie said.

"Which reminds me," Romeo said, "I need to find something for you."

"Oh, you don't have to," Jamie said, blushing.

"Yes, I do," Romeo said, "And I want to do it on my own. I don't want to ruin the surprise."

"Aww, how sweet," Jamie said, "Well, it would give me time to get you something. I just don't know what you would like. Something in Slytherin colors, perhaps?"

"Well, you know that I like Quidditch," Romeo smirked, "Hint, hint."

"Hmmm... it is an idea," Jamie said, "But I can't get anything without getting my money from my vault."

"Your vault?" Romeo said, "You mean you have a personal vault?"

"One of my birthday presents from my parents this year," Jamie said, "Why? You don't have one..."

"I have one," Romeo said, "I just didn't think you would... no offense."

"No offense taken," Jamie said, clearly not wanting to argue, "Come on, let's get going."  
--------------------------------------------------

Twenty minutes later, they walked out of Gringott's with their money bags full.

"Where do you think we should go?" Jamie asked, "My Uncles' shop is open. They returned here after our Hogsmeade Weekend was over."

"Well, okay, we can go there first," Romeo said, "Then I could go get my present for you while you shop around there."

Jamie agreed and they walked over to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. The shop in Diagon Alley had grown over the years and when Jamie and Romeo arrived, the shop was pretty crowded. Over the crowd of people, Jamie heard her Uncle Fred.

"Oi, Jamie! Romeo!" Fred said, "Over here!"

Jamie and Romeo walked over to Fred.

"George and I were wondering when Mum and Ginny would bring you guys here," Fred said.

"Better late than never," Jamie said, "But it looks like we aren't the only ones doing late shopping."

"Yeah, but it is good for us," said Fred, looking around at the customers.

"How is Aunt Angelina?" Jamie said, "It's been a while since I saw her last."

"Oh, she is fine," Fred said, "We are in the middle of the Quidditch season, but she has the day off tomorrow. You will get to see her then."

"Great," Jamie said.

"Jamie! Romeo!" George said from behind them, "How are you guys? Looking for Christmas presents I expect?"

"Yeah," Jamie said.

"Oh, speaking of presents," Romeo said, "I will be right back. I am going to look for something for you."

"Don't be too long, Romeo," Jamie said.

"Don't worry," Romeo said, smirking. He kissed Jamie on the cheek and walked out of the shop.

"So," George said, "Have you decided about... you know, accepting the invitation?"

"Yeah," Jamie said, "I should give my decision tomorrow." Not wanting to talk anymore about her decision, Jamie decided to change the subject, "So... do you guys have any idea what I could get Romeo for Christmas?"

"Well, do you know what he likes?" Fred said.

"He likes Quidditch," Jamie said.

"Well, I expected that," said Fred, "He is the Seeker and Captain of the Slytherin team, is he not?"

Jamie nodded.

"Well," George said, "Give him something he wouldn't expect."

"Like what?" Jamie asked, "I don't think he is the kind that likes jewelry."

"It doesn't have to be jewelry then," George said, "If you want our opinion, Jamie, I think you need to decide what to give him."

"Yeah, well, no offense, but I don't think what I am looking for Romeo is in here," Jamie said.

"Oh! That hurts, Jamie," Fred said, "You know... we don't just sell joke stuff anymore. I am sure you could find something."

"I will keep that in mind," said Jamie.

Jamie looked around the shop for a few minutes until Romeo had returned. She left with him and they did their shopping until they had to meet up with everyone else.  
------------------------------  
**All right, I am not sure when the next chapter will go up... I will have to think about it...**

Feedback appreciated...


End file.
